No info on entry of IS militants, says Thai PM
Thai authorities have stepped up surveillance in Bangkok and the country's border, in the wake of terror attacks in Jakarta yesterday but until now, had not received any information on the entry of Daesh militants into the country.
Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha said, the country had increased security cooperation with its neigbouring countries in an effort to stamp out any threat from the Daesh militant group.
"I am sure that I have not disguised anything (about the Daesh threat), but there is no information of those people's (Daesh militants) entry into Thailand," he told reporters after visiting Thailand Stock Exchange's new building in Din Daeng, Bangkok, today.
Every country, he said, had to be careful about the issue of Daesh militants and efforts had and would be taken to closely monitor the threat posed by the group which had its roots in Syria and Iraq.
Nevertheless, the prime minister also advised media in the country to treat the issues carefully so as not to create panic among the public which could create problems for the stock market and the economy.
Meanwhile, Thailand's National Security Council said, the terrorist attack in Jakarta which killed five of the perpetrators as well as two civilians was a 'wake-up call' to all security agencies in South-East Asia.
According to its secretary-general, General Thawip Netniyom, the attack should push security officials in the region to work more closely in sharing intelligence information on Daesh fighters.
General Thawip, as reported by the Bangkok Post newspaper today, said Thai security agencies had worked closely with their Indonesian counterpart.
- Bernama
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