'Can you forgive me?' Singapore-registered car's driver caught pumping Ron95, claims she was unaware

After she was caught pumping Ron95 petrol into her Singapore-registered vehicle at a BHP fuel station in Air Tawar, Malaysia, this driver tried asking for forgiveness, according to a video uploaded to Facebook group SG Road Vigilante on Friday (May 15).

In the video, the person recording can be heard confronting the driver — a middle-aged woman — as he paces around the latter's vehicle on Wednesday.

Because the car's boot is open and trunk hood raised, the license plate is not visible from the rear.

"This car is a Singapore-registered car," he says. "Look at her tactic, she opened the car's [trunk] so that people can't tell."

After he confronts her, the driver allegedly tried to swap to a different nozzle for petrol, he added.

He also accused the pump's attendant of "pretending not to know" that the driver was pumping Ron95.

Addressing the driver once more, he asks: "You know that this is a Singapore-registered car, so why did you fill it up with Ron95?"

However, the woman replies that she didn't know.

Facing further accusations from him, she apologises: "I'm sorry, I didn't know. Can you forgive me?"

"It's not about apologising to me," the man responds. "This is the law."

When he asks the woman if he knows what petrol she should be pumping, she then shifts the blame over to the pump attendant, insisting that she didn't know.

Malaysian or not?

In comments, some users questioned the nationality of the woman accused of pumping Ron95.

"This one [is definitely a] Singaporean PR (permanent resident)," said a user. "Malaysian by origin. Can speak Malay."

Many others also pointed out how the woman was able to converse in Malay throughout the video, taking that as a sign that she might be a Singaporean PR.

Another user also considered if it would really be worth it to pump petrol in Malaysia, compared to Singapore.

"By the time you factor in the travelling, queueing, and extra wear and tear, the savings may not be that significant for me," the user stated. "I also feel more comfortable with the consistency and quality of [Singapore's petrol].

"End of the day, everyone values their time differently, so it really depends on individual preference."

Owners of foreign-registered vehicles found pumping Ron95 may face fines of up to RM1 million (S$322,000), jail of up to three years, or both.

The use of foreign debit and credit cards to purchase Ron95 fuel at self-service kiosks has also been banned starting April 1.

AsiaOne has contacted Malaysia's Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living for more information.

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khooyihang@asiaone.com