A well-drilling contractor in Thailand has issued an urgent warning to the public to remain vigilant when purchasing fuel following a costly encounter with contaminated petrol. Amnat Thueansantier shared his ordeal on Facebook this Monday, posting a video that showed his workers draining significant amounts of water from a drilling engine. The incident occurred after the businessman paid approximately 40,000 baht (RM4,772) for what he believed was high-quality fuel to power his industrial equipment.
The incident took place amidst a wider national backdrop of fuel supply shortages, which has forced many operators to source petrol from smaller, independent vendors. Amnat’s staff reportedly purchased the batch from a small retail outlet in the Bueng Samphan district to refuel a well-drilling machine used for his underground water sourcing business. However, immediately after the tank was filled, the engine failed to start and began showing signs of severe fuel system malfunction.
Upon conducting a manual inspection of the machinery, the team discovered that the tank was filled almost entirely with water rather than the petrol they had paid for. Amnat, who operates his drilling services primarily in the Nong Phai district, described the initial frustration of dealing with the mechanical failure during a time when securing replacement fuel was already a significant challenge. Fortunately, after the system was thoroughly flushed and refilled with genuine petrol, the engine resumed normal operation without permanent damage.
The business owner noted that his staff had patronised the same establishment previously, spending between 50,000 and 60,000 baht (RM5,965 to RM7,158) on fuel without encountering any issues. This previous reliability made the sudden delivery of contaminated fuel particularly unexpected. Amnat has since urged other consumers and business operators to carefully inspect their fuel purchases, especially when dealing with smaller stations or third-party sellers during periods of scarcity.
Despite the financial loss and the advice of peers to pursue legal restitution, Amnat stated that he does not intend to take the premises owner to court. He chose instead to view the incident as a stroke of misfortune rather than a deliberate act of fraud. By sharing his experience online, he hopes to raise awareness among the community to prevent similar logistical and financial setbacks for other local businesses relying on heavy machinery.
