Yangon hit by fuel shortage

Lining up early: Motorists queuing up to fill their vehicles at a petrol station in Yangon amid fuel shortages in the area. — AFP

Yangon, the country’s commercial hub, is facing a fuel shortage, said residents and junta-controlled media, with hundreds of vehicles queuing up at dawn in hopes of securing petrol.

The state-run Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper said the shortage begun on Tuesday and was “due to delays in oil delivery from Thilawa Port to filling stations” without providing further detail. Most of Yangon’s fuel arrives through the port, but the local kyat currency has plunged against the dollar since the military seized power in 2021, hitting importers’ ability to pay for fuel shipments.Dozens of cars and motorbikes lined up in the early morning in Yangon. In Bago region north of Yangon, some stations were limiting sales to 20 litres per customer, an AFP correspondent said.