Recently, a large-scale protest over fuel prices broke out in southern Thailand. Hundreds of cars, pickup trucks and lorries gathered in Nakhon Si Thammarat province and formed a convoy heading for Bangkok, demanding that the government cut diesel prices by 10 baht per litre. They did not rule out further protest action, including road blockades, if their demand was not met.
That morning, residents from several areas of southern Thailand arrived at the Khuan Nong Hong intersection in Cha-uat district, Nakhon Si Thammarat, to gather. The organiser, subdistrict headman (kamnan) Mano, had previously planned to mobilise 1,000 cars and lorries. He then led the convoy along the highway toward Bangkok, with plans to submit their demands at Government House.
The organisers said recent fuel-price increases had driven up transport, farming and logistics costs, putting ordinary people under growing financial pressure. They demanded concrete government measures to reduce diesel prices by 10 baht per litre and address the rising cost of living, employment difficulties and drug-related problems.
In response to the protest, the Thai government said it had already taken steps to ease the burden on the public, including cuts to excise taxes on B20 diesel and E20 petrol. However, those benefits do not amount to a direct 10-baht-per-litre reduction in regular diesel prices, and a gap remains between the government’s measures and the protesters’ demands.
The organisers warned that, if the government failed to respond to their demand for lower prices, protesters might park their vehicles on the roads to express their dissatisfaction. As the convoy continues toward Bangkok, whether the protest grows and whether it affects traffic along the route remain developments to watch.
