The Ministry of Energy has dismissed as untrue a report which has been circulating in the social media that anyone who uses mobile phone or who does not switch off the engine of his/her car while being refueled at gas stations will face a fine of 100,000 baht and/or one-year imprisonment.
Mr Vitoon Kulcharoenvirat, director-general of Energy Business Department of the Ministry of Energy, said Tuesday that the report was completely groundless and might cause public panic. He pleaded with netizens to stop sharing the false report.
He, however, said that the Energy Business Department has strict regulations governing the owners of gas stations and their employees, oil depots, oil trucks and LPG stores.
The regulations require gas station to have, at least, one personnel who has a license to work at the premise to take care of safety problem and whose duty is to warn motorists to switch off the engines of their cars and not to use cellphones at gas stations, Mr Vitoon explained.
In case a motorist shuns the warning, the station assistant can reject service for the motorist, he said.
