All conventional steel cooking gas cylinders used in the far South, which are favoured as bomb containers by insurgents, will be replaced with less lethal ones made from composite materials by October next year, security officials said on Monday.
The change was announce by Col Pramote Prom-in, spokesman for Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc) Region 4.
He said households and traders in the three southern border provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat, plus four districts of Songkhla - Chana, Na Thawi, Saba Yoi and Thepa - have until Sept 30 next year to replace their gas cylinders.
He said PTT Plc, Thailand's largest cooking gas producer, can now distribute the composite cooking gas cylinders commercially, and its customers can immediately replace their steel gas cylinders with the new type at its service stations.
The PTT composite cooking gas cylinder can handle higher pressures and has a 20-year use life, much longer than the 3-5 years of the conventional steel cylinders. Isoc hopes the new cylinder will reduce casualty rates in the deep South, where insurgents make bombs out of cooking gas cylinders. (Bangkok Post file photo)
The light-weight composite cylinders are expected to reduce the number of bomb casualties.
The composite tanks mainly consist of resin impregnated fibre-glass. This composite is used for structures requiring high durability and low weight, and typical applications include aircraft and boats.
Tests conducted by Isoc Region 4 two years ago found the composite cylinders can be made into bombs, but the fragments resulting from explosion are small and light in weight. This means they have a limited range, making them less dangerous than fragments from steel cylinders
Consumers had time to gradually make the change and could still use the conventional steel cylinders, but not after Sept 30 next year.
He said any supplier in the declared areas who cannot distribute composite cooking gas cylinders after the deadline would be required to sign an agreement with authorities authorising other qualified operators to provide services on their behalf.
Col Pramote also reminded householders and distributors in the border region that the refilling of cooking gas cylinders with liquid petroleum gas at pumps selling LPG for use in vehicles from Aug 1.
He said security officers will be watching cooking gas suppliers and LPG filling centres closely to ensure the prohibition is enforced, to prevent misuse of the fuel.
