Defence Minister Sutin Klungsang has ordered an investigation into a report that 200,000 litres of diesel went missing from an Ordnance Materiel Rebuild Centre in Saraburi province last year.

Sutin said he was briefed about the incident and has already ordered the finding of those responsible. “This happened in an army unit and we will look into whether our personnel were involved, Sutin said.

The matter came to light after ThaiPBS online released a document that showed that a large amount of diesel had disappeared from the unit last year.

On Sunday, the army’s deputy spokesperson, Maj Gen Sirichan Ngathong, said that an army team suspected irregularities in the use of oil at the unit and reported it to headquarters.

Further investigation was ordered, Sirichan said. The loss was discovered during routine examinations of important supplies, including oil, explosives, weapons and ammunition, by internal audit teams at army units countrywide.