Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said Tuesday authorities have found no information suggesting members of the Islamic State (IS) terror group are hiding in the south of Thailand or were involved in recent attacks in the region.
The prime minister was responding to questions from a reporter concerning remarks made by Malaysian authorities about alleged IS activity in the south of Thailand.
Malaysian authorities said southern Thailand was being used as a hide-out for IS members. They claimed some recent violent attacks in the country were the work of the terror group, which claimed responsibility for a major attack in the UK recently.
Asked if he could confirm whether there was no connection between the terror group and attacks in the region, the premier said he could not categorically confirm such a link.
He said it was more accurate to say authorities had examined reports and found no information indicating IS activity in the southern region.
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Gen Prayut also urged the public to step up surveillance and act as the eyes and ears of security authorities, while calling on the media to exercise caution when covering the issue, saying it could affect the country's national security.
"Don't invite trouble into our home," he said.
The reporters were asked to write down their questions which were then gathered by the government spokesman's team. Gen Prayut also wrote his answers down.
He said he instructed security authorities to closely monitor security in the South to ensure no international extremist organisations were meddling in the situation to exploit it for their own ends.
Asked about the progress of the government's plan to designate "safety zones" in the restive South, he said discussions on the matter were underway, and both sides needs to work on the details.
In a related development Tuesday, Thailand and China agreed on military cooperation that will include joint training to fight terrorism, according to Supreme Commander Surapong Suwanna-at.
The agreement was reached during a visit by Gen Fang Fenghui, the People's Liberation Army of the People's Republic of China. He also serves as Chief of the General Staff and a member of the Central Military Commission.
Gen Surapong was on hand to receive Gen Fang at the Royal Thai Armed Forces (RTAF) headquarters where the Chinese general reviewed a guard of honour Tuesday. Gen Fang is an official guest of the RTAF.
Gen Fang and Gen Surapong discussed cooperation between the countries' armed forces, including joint education programmes, military training and defence.
The two sides agreed to continue strong military relations as well as engagements with other countries.
Training sessions will be organised for the different branches of the armed forces. Chinese special forces will train with their Thai counterparts, while the Blue Strike drill will be carried out by Thai and Chinese marine forces.
The Falcon Strike drill will be organised for the air forces of the two countries.
A crucial part of the drills will be anti-terrorism training which is incorporated into the military cooperation, according to the RTAF.
Thai and Chinese armed forces personnel are also taking part in community relations projects. Each side has agreed to visits by military personnel.
Gen Fang also met Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha at Government House and Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon at the Defence Council Tuesday to discuss how military ties can be developed further.