Long vehicle queues have paralyzed the administrative capital as residents scramble for fuel following the military junta’s announcement of a nationwide rationing system. Mizzima News Subscription
On 4 March the military-owned Myawaddy fuel station near Myoma Market was forced to close, while neighbouring private stations like Denko in Zabuthiri Township were overwhelmed by thick crowds of motorists waiting hours for supply.
“We have to queue for fuel. I didn’t join the line myself, but the smaller, ordinary shops are closed. The little home-based shops, most of them are shut down,” a Pyinmana resident said on the morning of 4 March.
Another Pyinmana resident said, “The small neighbourhood shops selling certain fuel bottles used to cost over 2,000 Kyats per one [bottle]. Now its price jumped to 4,000. It’s 4,000, 4,500, or even 5,000 Kyats. The prices vary.”
The rush to buy fuel in Naypyidaw began yesterday. A resident from Zabuthiri Township noted this morning that prices at major stations rose slightly from 2,445 Kyats to 2,495 Kyats per litre of 92 Octane, though buyers were still able to get the amount they needed at that time.
He further stated that crowds are thick in front of the Denko station near Myoma Market in Zabuthiri, while the nearby military-owned Myawaddy station is closed today. Long queues are also being reported in Dekkhina Thiri Township.
Similar scenes are unfolding in major cities like Yangon, Mandalay, and Taunggyi, where large numbers of people are queuing and some stations are limiting sales. In Thai-Myanmar border towns, residents are also scrambling to buy fuel due to fears of a total shortage.
On the night of 3 March, the Myanmar junta issued a statement urging the public to conserve fuel. They cited global political tensions and military conflicts in the Middle East, which have caused blockades and obstacles along the shipping routes used by fuel tankers.
Public criticism is also mounting over a junta directive stating that, effective 7 March, private vehicles (excluding EVs) must follow an “odd-even” driving schedule meaning cars with even-numbered plates can only drive on even dates, and vice versa.
