1030622巨型炊事用气价格上涨百叶窗商店.docx

Giant cooking gas price surge shutters storesBySu Phyo Win |Sunday, 22 June 2014The price of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) nearly quadrupled this month to what some are calling the highest prices ever recorded in Myanmar.Disruptions of imports along the Thai border are being blamed for the spike, which is forcing businesses to close and households to put off refilling their ubiquitous fuel tanks.LPG is the preferred fuel for nearly all Myanmar households and restaurants, and had been selling for between K2000 and K2500 per viss (1.6 kilograms) at the start of the month. But shopkeepers on June 20 told The Myanmar Times that LPG is selling for K8500 a viss at present if it is possible to find supply.“Weve never faced such a price surge,” said one clearly exasperated LPG shop owner in Yangons Tarnwe township. “Gas prices have climbed in the past for a short while, before dropping again. But this time its gone too high and gone on too long.”Many of his competitors, along with restaurants and small businesses that made heavy use of the fuel, are forced to close until supply returns to normal, he said.Prior to 2011 the government imported LPG and sold it at a subsidised rate to high-level officials, who resold it on the market. Other imports were made up of LPG smuggled across the border from Thailand and sold on the black market. But from August 2011, the government granted five private companies Asia World, Universal Energy, Union of Myanmar Economic Holdings Limited, Infinite Benevolence and Myanma Liquefied Petroleum Gas licences to import and sell LPG as part of the governments ongoing privatisation of the economy.Despite being rich in natural gas, Myanmar does not have enough facilities to compress the gas into liquid form, and so must import LPG from abroad. Often in recent years these imports have come from Thailand, which has adequate refining capacity, but many are saying spillover from the May 22 coup has slowed LPG trade through the border crossings.U Than Oo, a shop owner in Kyauktada township, blamed a closed border crossing at Myawaddy to Thailand as the reason for the shortage, while another shop owner in Tarnwe township said the problem will be circumvented through ship-based shipments, with prices expected to drop when the next LPG-carrying boat comes in at the end of the month.Officials from importing companies declined to discuss the issue with The Myanmar Times, with employees at Universal Energy saying it was not their business to notify the press about the price hike.Whatever the reason, Yangon people have had to change their cooking habits now that the gas has stopped flowing.Daw Tin Tin Win, a retired Ministry of Industry official, said she has stopped using gas now that it has breached K8000. “I will use electricity untilprices drop,” she said.While shortages are currently faced, the flow of gas did not stop even during the cyclone Nargis, said U Than Oo.“Its the highest price Ive ever heard of,” he said. “Weve decided to give businesspeople priority over households, because if we dont support them all the businesses will shut down.”Frequent LPG buyers say they are reeling to cope with the costs.One restaurant owner said 10 viss of LPG had cost K28,000 at the beginning of June, then K38,000, K45,000, K65,000 and the last order was K85,000.“We have to raise our food prices or we cant survive,” she said.Shop owners say they are holding out hope prices return to normal at the end of the month.Myanmars state-owned Myanma Petrochemical Enterpirse in April announced in state-run media it would accept expressions of interest from foreign investors to operate its Nyaung Don LPG plant as a joint venture.LPG has advantages and disadvantages compared with other fuels. On one hand it is relatively easy to store and transport, and is cheap and burns cleanly. But improper handling can be both costly and deadly.巨型炊事用氣價格上漲百葉窗商店蘇Phyo贏|星期日，2014年6月22日2液化石油氣（LPG）的價格，這個月幾乎翻了兩番，什麼一些人稱之為有史以來在緬甸的最高價格。沿泰國邊境進口的中斷被指責為尖峰，這是迫使企業關閉和家庭推遲他們的加氣無處不在油箱。液化石油氣是首選燃料，幾乎所有緬甸家庭及餐廳，並已在本月初售價為K2000和K2500每威斯（1.6千克）之間。但在6月20日店主告訴緬甸時報石油氣售價為K8500一VISS現在 - 如果有可能找到供應。“我們從來沒有遇到這樣的價格飆升，”一說顯然被激怒石油氣店老闆在仰光的Tarnwe鄉。“天然氣價格已經攀升，在過去很短的一段時間，再次下探前。但是，這一次它的消失太高了太久。“他的許多競爭對手，以及餐館和大量使用燃料的小型企業，都被迫關閉，直到電源恢復正常後，他說。2011年之前，政府進口液化石油氣及按補貼費率出售給高級官員，誰轉手賣出，在市場上。其他進口量由液化石油氣從泰國跨境走私和黑市上出售。但是，從2011年8月，中國政府批准五家民營公司 - 亞洲世界，環球能源，緬甸經濟控股有限公司工會，無限仁和緬甸液化石油氣 - 許可證進口和銷售液化石油氣作為政府正在進行的經濟私有化的一部分。儘管是豐富的天然氣中，緬甸沒有足夠的設施，以壓縮氣體為液態，因此必須從國外進口液化石油氣。往往在最近幾年這些進口都來自泰國，其中有足夠的煉油能力，但許多人說從5月22日政變外溢已通過邊境口岸放緩石油氣貿易。比吳，一位店主在Kyauktada鄉鎮，指責在Myawaddy封閉過境到泰國作為短缺的原因，而另一位店主Tarnwe鄉說，這個問題將通過船載貨物被規避，價格有望下降時，下一個液化石油氣船運載排在了月底。從進口公司官員拒絕與緬甸時間來討論這個問題，與員工在宇宙能量說這是不是他們的業務通知記者有關提價。不管是什麼原因，仰光人都有過，現在氣已停止流動，以改變他們的烹飪習慣。昂錫錫贏，退休工信部一官員說，她現在它已違反K8000採用氣體停止。“我會用電量，直到價格的下降，“她說。而短缺目前正面臨，氣體的流量甚至沒有氣旋納吉斯期間停止，上述U比吳。“這是我聽過的最高價，”他說。“我們已經決定給商人優先於家庭，因為如果我們不支持他們所有的企業將關停。”頻繁石油氣買家說，他