Undertaker Brings Coffin to Chonburi Petrol Station to Prove Legitimate Fuel Need
CHONBURI — An undertaker in Chonburi province was compelled to transport a coffin containing a deceased person to a petrol station in order to purchase diesel for a cremation, after staff refused to sell fuel in containers under anti-hoarding restrictions.
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Preecha, the undertaker, explained that he first attempted to buy diesel using an 18-litre container at a station on Highway 344 in Ban Bueng municipality. Despite explaining that the fuel was required for cremations — many of which are for low-income families dependent on donations to cover costs — staff declined to make an exception, citing rules designed to prevent fuel hoarding.
Extraordinary Proof
Determined to secure the fuel, Preecha returned the next morning with the coffin and the containers. He opened the coffin in front of staff to demonstrate that his request was genuine and not an attempt to hoard. After an employee alerted the station manager, permission was granted to fill the containers.
The unusual incident quickly went viral on social media, drawing thousands of reactions and comments. Many expressed sympathy for the undertaker’s predicament while criticizing blanket restrictions that fail to accommodate essential needs.
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A Longtime Customer
Preecha noted that he has worked as an undertaker since 2005 and had regularly purchased diesel in containers from the same station, especially after the temple transitioned from wood-fired to diesel-powered cremation furnaces. Current fuel shortages, however, have led to tightened rules on container sales — measures that have inadvertently hindered legitimate users.
Appealing for Exceptions
He urged petrol station operators to consider reasonable exceptions, particularly for temples conducting cremations and for farmers needing fuel during harvest season. The deceased’s family, he added, had consented to the cremation, and due to their low income, a donor had provided the funds to cover the fuel costs.
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The case underscores how well-intentioned fuel rationing can create unexpected obstacles for essential services. For Preecha and the family he served, bringing a coffin to a petrol station was not a publicity stunt — it was a final, desperate act to fulfill a sacred duty.
-Thailand News (TN)
