Under Malaysia's Control of Supplies Act, the Malaysian Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN) is exploring ways to restrict the use of foreign credit cards for buying subsidised Ron95 petrol.

The announcement was made by KPDN minister Armizan Mohd Ali in Malaysia's Parliament on Monday (Feb 9) during the royal address session.

The minister emphasized the need for new measures to strengthen regulations and eliminate current loopholes, such as the use of fake registration numbers or deceptive tactics at petrol stations.

"These measures aim to clarify the responsibilities of petrol station operators without burdening them with impractical requirements, like conducting technical checks on vehicles, which are beyond their job scope," Armizan explained.

He also mentioned that starting from Apr 1, strict bans and legal actions will be enforced against owners or drivers of foreign-registered vehicles who violate the new regulations.

Recently, a 63-year-old Malaysian male, Long Sa Kow, who holds Singapore permanent residency, was fined RM9,000 (S$2,850) for the misuse of his Singapore-registered car.

In a separate incident, a driver of a Singapore-registered vehicle was caught refueling Ron95 in Iskandar Puteri, claiming that it was not illegal to purchase Ron95 as legal actions can only be taken against petrol station operators.