YANGON, Myanmar, March 3, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Myanmar's junta announced on 
Tuesday that half of private vehicles would be ordered off the roads each day 
from later this week, to preserve oil stocks depleted by conflict in the 
Middle East.

Beginning on Saturday, cars with licence plates starting with even numbers 
will only be permitted to drive on even-numbered calendar days, leaving the 
odd-numbered days for vehicles with odd-numbered plates, a junta statement 
said.

The joint US-Israel attacks on Iran over the weekend and wider war across the 
Middle East have hampered oil supplies from the resource-rich region and sent 
global prices rocketing.

Myanmar imports 90 percent of its fuel oil, the junta said in 2024.

"Due to current global political conditions and military conflicts in the 
Middle East, there are ongoing blockades and disruptions along the maritime 
trade routes used by oil tankers," the junta statement said.

Drivers must heed the rules "to ensure the systematic distribution and 
security of fuel", it added.

Electric vehicles, buses, taxis, cargo vehicles, emergency services and 
garbage trucks will be exempt.

It was not immediately clear how the rules will be policed or how long they 
will remain in force, but the junta said any violation would "result in legal 
action".

It also warned that "fuel business owners and the general public are strictly 
prohibited from hoarding fuel or reselling it at inflated prices".

Myanmar has been ruled by the military since it staged a 2021 coup, sparking 
a civil war which has seen opposition factions wrest swathes of the country 
away from the control of the armed forces.

Rebels running parallel administrations in their territories have not 
announced measures to preserve fuel, meaning any enforcement will likely be 
limited only to military-held areas.

The country has long suffered from erratic imports and energy supplies amidst 
the conflict, which frequently sees roads cut and border crossings closed.