Bangkok - Thousands of Thai truck drivers went on strike Wednesday, parking their vehicles along the nation's highways to protest high fuel prices.

"If we work we lose money, so it's better not to work," said Thongu Kongkhan, secretary-general of the Transportation Federation of Thailand.

Thongu claimed that altogether 120,000 trucks out of 700,000 operating nationwide had joined the strike on Wednesday, parking their 10-wheel and container vehicles in queues stretching up to 10 kilometres along Bang Na Trad Highway on the outskirts of Bangkok and along other major highways in Chonburi, Rayong and Nakorn Sawan provinces.

"We want the government to provide us diesel at a special price," Thongu told Deutsche Presse-Agentur, dpa. "If we don't get the subsidy by June 17, the entire national truck fleet of 700,000 vehicles will go on strike and descend on Bangkok," he warned.

The federation of truckers is also demanding the government subsidize the costs of switching over to compressed natural gas (CNG) and the opening of more CNG petrol stations nationwide.

The strikers claimed to represent both large and small truck operators. Several successful Thai politicians have made their fortunes in the country's trucking sector, making it a powerful political lobby.

The truckers' strike follows a successful strike by private bus operators in Bangkok last month. The government bowed to the bus strikers' demands, promising to subsidize their fuel costs, although it has yet to do so.

The price of diesel, the most popular fuel in Thailand, has risen to 40 baht (1.20 dollars) per litre compared with 31 baht per litre in January this year. (dpa)