Global high prices cut Thailand’s crude imports by five per cent in January to 802,000 barrels per day and oil product imports by 30 per cent to 3.8 million litres a day from a year earlier, the Energy Ministry said.

Domestic demand for diesel and gasoline continued to fall in January, when diesel sales fell by 9.4 per cent to 50.4 million litres a day and gasoline sales dropped 17.1 per cent to 16.1 million litres a day, the ministry said in a statement.
The government of Asia’s sixth larget oil consumer ended its subsidies of gasoline in October 2004 and diesel in July 2005 after spending $2.2 billion over 19 months and after the trade deficit had widened to worrying levels.
In 2005, Thailand's crude imports, which account for most of domestic consumption, were down 4.6 per cent at 823,100 barrel per day, according to PTT, the country's largest oil and gas firm which compiles the trade data.
PTT, Thailand’s most valuable company with a market value of $17.5 billion, controls more than 30 petroleum, gas exploration and petrochemical businesses.
PTT, which runs Thailand's gas pipeline monopoly, has benefited from strong gas demand from power and industrial plants. Gas accounts for more than half of PTT’s profit.