SG couple caught filling up with RON95 fuel in Kulai have turned themselves in

KULAI: A man and his wife, who were seen in Kulai getting RON95 fuel in a video that went viral last weekend, have shown up in Malaysia to assist with the investigation into their actions.

The couple caught the attention of a Malaysian driver for a number of reasons. First, the first and last figures of the registration plate of the couple’s silver Volkswagen Jetta appeared to have been tampered with. Next, only Malaysian citizens are allowed to fill their vehicles with RON95 petrol, which is heavily subsidised by the Malaysian government. Finally, when the man was asked if he was Malaysian, he replied in the affirmative, which his wife later reiterated.

The video was shared on the SG Road Vigilante Facebook page on Jan 3. On the following day, in response to the clip having gone viral, Kulai OPCD Asst Comm Tan Seng Lee said that the man in the video had been identified as a Singapore permanent resident.

Mr Tan said on Monday afternoon (Jan 5) that the man, 63, and his wife, 67, had arrived at the Kulai police headquarters.

“The investigation paper is still being processed and will be referred to the Deputy Public Prosecutor as soon as possible for further instructions,” The Star quoted him as saying.

He had previously said that the case is under investigation under Malaysia’s Road Transport Act 1987, which has to do with altered or tampered vehicle registration numbers.

RON95 petrol

While the petrol in question should only be sold to Malaysian citizens, this has not stopped Singaporeans from attempting to buy it, in large part because its price is so much lower in Malaysia than in Singapore. At present, RON95 costs around RM2.56 per litre, or S$0.80. In Singapore, meanwhile, it costs between S$2.83 and S$2.88 per litre.

However, concerns have been raised for some years now, due to perceived unfairness. While the owners of petrol stations may be fined as much as RM1 million (S$305,000) or be sent to jail for as long as three years for selling subsidised fuel to foreigners, there is no corresponding punishment for foreigners who get caught buying RON95 fuel.

Some have called for the government to introduce laws that specifically penalise foreigners who buy the subsidised fuel, arguing that as long as there are no real penalties, the problem will continue.

“As long as the buyers are not penalised, they will always keep trying,” Gordon Lim, the Petrol Dealers Association of Malaysia (PDAM) communication and media secretary, said last year. /TISG

Read also: Man in viral video getting RON95 fuel identified as SG PR, petrol station owner faces high fine