Thai Intelligence Checking Reports on Daesh Agents in Country's South - PM

Thai intelligence is investigating reports that three people with suspected links to Daesh terrorist group met religious leaders in the south of the country late last year, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said on Friday.

BANGKOK (Sputnik) — On Thursday, local media reported, citing security forces, that three foreigners — Indonesian, Malaysian and Singaporean nationals — were Daesh emissaries, and allegedly asked the local religious leaders to educate Thai young people about Daesh to boost its fundraising.

"We have to watch out for things that have an impact on other countries or the world community… Sometimes talking about some issues will yield no benefits," Prayut said while speaking before the government, underscoring that the information is being verified, and no Daesh activity in southern Thailand has yet been confirmed.

The head of the Thai government said that "some things" needed to be handled carefully to avoid undue public concern.

He added that the government was constantly improving the country's security measures by increasing the efficiency of security officers, purchasing new security technology and boosting intelligence exchange with other countries.

Daesh, which occupies vast tracts of Iraq and Syria and is outlawed in many countries including Russia, has gained much notoriety. The jihadists are notorious for conducting suicide bombings and other attacks worldwide.

Among the most recent attacks, Daesh claimed responsibility for a string of the deadly attacks on the Indonesian capital of Jakarta on January 14.