Experts question Thai energy crisis declaration
Although a Thai minister claimed recently that delays in resolving the disputed overlapping claims area with Cambodia would result in an energy crisis, experts said yesterday the statement had been politically motivated. Thai Energy Minister Pichai Naripthaphan said last week Thailand would run out of gas in 15 years if the issue of the reportedly gas- and oil-rich area in the Gulf of Thailand was not quickly resolved, according to a Bloomberg report. Petrochemical companies, which the minister said relied in part on wet gas from the Gulf of Thailand, could lose billions of dollars if oil and gas reserves were depleted, the report said… But a number of regional analysts said the risk of an oil crisis in Thailand was slim…
