A Malaysian couple have been questioned after their Malaysian-registered car was found parked in a no-parking zone in Bangkok’s Lumpini district on October 13, with seven containers holding a total of 40 litres of fuel.
The incident occurred amid heightened security in Bangkok for the ongoing IMF-World Bank Group Annual Meetings.
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Pol. Maj. Gen. Siam Boonsom said police inspecting the area spotted the car parked along a footpath and contacted relevant agencies to check the vehicle.
Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) officers and sniffer dogs were also called in to conduct a thorough inspection.
Seven fuel containers were found in the rear of the car. Initial checks found no illegal items.
Siam said the couple told police that they had arrived in Thailand on October 11th for their honeymoon and planned to return to Malaysia on October 17th. They had travelled to several provinces in their private car.
The couple explained that they had parked in the area because they wanted to visit a shopping mall and a taxi driver had told them that parking was permitted there.
They said the seven containers held 40 litres of reserve fuel purchased at a petrol station in Malaysia. They explained that they were unfamiliar with the routes and had brought the extra fuel in case of an emergency, given the long distances they had driven.
The couple also said they were unaware that Thailand was hosting the IMF-World Bank Group Annual Meetings during their visit and had come to Thailand solely for tourism.
They were fined 2,000 baht for parking in an area marked as a no-parking zone.
Police returned the fuel to the couple, as the amount did not exceed the legal limit.
