accepting the change

Foreign-registered vehicles and vessels have to pay more for fuel today, 19th June 2008:
Premium Ron 97 for B$1.18/L and diesel for B$1.13/L instead of the B$10 petrol and B$6 diesel limit.

from Reuters:

Brunei raises fuel prices for foreigners
Tue Jun 17, 2008 7:46am BST

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, June 17 (Reuters) - Oil-rich Brunei will substantially raise petrol and diesel prices for foreigners from June 19 to rein in mounting fuel subsidies, the government said.

Like other Asian countries, the tiny but wealthy sultanate on Borneo island is grappling with soaring subsidies in order to keep its pump prices the lowest in Southeast Asia.

Brunei's Energy Ministry said late on Monday that foreign motorists would have to pay B$1.18 ($0.86) for premium petrol, more than double the 53 Brunei cents for Brunei-registered vehicles.

The change takes the enhanced Brunei fuel price to the same level as in neighbouring Malaysia. Since Malaysia raised petrol and diesel prices on June 5, many Malaysians in east Malaysia have made a beeline for Brunei to seek relatively cheaper fuel.

"We get hundreds of Malaysians taking their cars across the border daily just to buy fuel," said one Brunei resident.

Brunei said diesel prices would be raised to B$1.13 a litre from the 31 Brunei cents it charges to Bruneians.

The government said sales of diesel to foreign vehicles rose by 66 percent on June 5-6 compared with June 1-4 while sales of premium petrol rose by 36 percent during the same period.

Brunei spent B$202 million on fuel subsidies in 2007, up sharply from B$50 million in
2004, government data showed.

Oil and natural gas are the mainstay of Brunei's economy. The government has told the people to conserve energy, saying petroleum resources would not last forever.

"Some of us seem to have forgotten or have neglected the need to be prudent when using these commodities," Energy Minister Yahya Bakar said last month. (Writing by Jalil Hamid, Editing by Valerie Lee)

From AP:

Brunei doubles fuel price for foreigners
Wednesday June 18, 2:26 am ET
Brunei doubles retail gasoline prices for drivers of foreign vehicles BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Brunei (AP) -- Brunei will require drivers of foreign-registered vehicles to pay sharply higher retail gasoline prices in the latest bid by an Asian country to curb steep fuel subsidies.


The government in this oil-rich sultanate on Borneo island announced that owners of foreign vehicles will pay 1.18 Brunei dollars (US$0.87; euro0.56) per liter of gasoline starting Thursday.

The figure is more than double the 53 Brunei cents (US$0.39; euro0.25) per liter that others will continue to pay at the pump.

Brunei's huge oil and gas resources have long made it one of Asia's richest per-capita economies.

The Brunei government's Petroleum Unit announced the measure Tuesday in response to neighboring Malaysia's move to hike gasoline prices by 41 percent earlier this month. Gasoline now costs 2.70 ringgit ($0.87; euro0.56) a liter in Malaysia.

Brunei authorities said gasoline sales to foreign vehicles spiked 36 percent after Malaysia's announcement. Brunei borders Malaysia's eastern states on Borneo island.

Zolkiflee Abdul Karim, director of the Petroleum Unit, said the new directive is meant to ensure Brunei's fuel stocks remain sufficient to fulfill domestic demand.

Brunei recently launched a campaign urging people not to waste energy resources. The government spent 202 million Brunei dollars (US$151 million; euro96 million) to subsidize gasoline and diesel prices for motorists last year.