Malaysia to ban purchase of Ron95 petrol for foreign-registered vehicles from April 1

If the prices are a steal, they're probably illegal — come April, they certainly will be. 

The purchase of Ron95 petrol in Malaysia by foreign-registered vehicles may be prohibited from April, according to the country's Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry on Wednesday (Jan 28). 

New regulations will be introduced under Malaysia's Control of Supplies Act aimed at controlling the distribution of subsidised Ron95 petrol. 

"Through the new regulations that we are drafting, the prohibition will apply not only to sales but also to purchases," Minister Armizan Ali said in Parliament on Wednesday, The Star reported. 

"This means that individuals who buy, own or drive foreign-registered vehicles can also be subject to enforcement action."

Presently, only the sale of Ron95 is prohibited and enforcement action can only be taken against petrol station operators, not the buyers or owners of foreign-registered vehicles.

Armizan also shared that his ministry was holding engagement sessions with stakeholders to determine standard operating procedures for enforcement to be integrated into their systems, New Straits Times reported.

At the retail level, measures include periodic inspections at petrol stations to ensure the ban on sales to foreign-registered vehicles is enforced, Malay Mail reported. 

Fuel purchases exceeding 20 litres outside of vehicle tanks will also be banned, Armizan stated. 

Integrated operations with the police, armed forces, coast guard, customs department and the Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency will also be used to combat subsidy leakage and smuggling, according to Malay Mail. 

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khooyihang@asiaone.com