Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday instructed relevant agencies to be on alert after Malaysia revealed that a suspect linked to the Islamic State (IS), Muhammad Muzaffa Arieff Junaidi, had possibly fled to Thailand’s deep South.

Muhammad, 27, from Malaysia’s Kelantan state, is believed to have been running an IS cell. Six suspects linked to that cell were arrested in March in several Malaysian states.

“He managed to escape to southern Thailand with an M4 Carbine rifle and a pistol on March 22. He is also involved in smuggling weapons from southern Thailand,” Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar said.

Prayut said Thai authorities were ready to co-operate with Malaysia on a joint investigation and extradition of the suspect, but he urged the media not to play up the issue.

“Please don’t play up the security matter. It’s dangerous,” Prayut said.

The Thai Army has contacted Malaysia for more information, Fourth Army Region Commander Lt-General Piyawat Nakwanich said.

There is no active IS movement in the deep South, he said, adding that border control authorities are very strict on cross-border movements.

There have been no reports of Muhammad entering the Kingdom, chief of Thai Immigration Bureau Natthorn Prausoonthorn said.

More than 6,800 people have been killed in the ongoing violence in Thailand’s deep South since 2004. Authorities in Bangkok have said the situation in the predominantly Muslim region is a domestic affair.

In Malaysia, four men and two women, aged between 26 and 41, were picked up by Bukit Aman Special Branch Counter Terrorism Division following raids in five states, according to The Star newspaper.

The first arrests involved two men in Kelantan on March 24 and 25, Khalid said.

“We believe they were involved in smuggling weapons from southern Thailand for the terror group,” he said yesterday.

A 26-year-old student was picked up at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on April 4 after she went to Turkey on August 29 last year with the intention of going to Syria to join IS, Khalid said.

“However, while waiting for further instructions from militant Muhammad Wanndy Mohamed Jedi, the suspect was detained by Turkish authorities on February 5,” he said.

Two more arrests were made – of a 41-year-old jobless man, and a 32-year-old woman who worked as a factory technician – in Malacca and Johor respectively, Khalid said.

“We believe they were actively promoting IS propaganda via the Google Plus app,” he said.

The sixth arrest was of a 41-year-old man in Penang state on April 25. He is believed to have promoted the IS struggle via 15 Facebook accounts since 2014.

It is believed he was also planning to attack Shi’ite mosques in Penang, Khalid said.

As Jakartans are still reeling from the most divisive gubernatorial election the city has ever seen, which exacerbated sectarianism and fanned anti-Chinese sentiments, some citizens have called on the government to protect the capital from any threat from radicals.

On Wednesday the State Palace, as well as the headquarters of the National Police, the Jakarta Police and the Indonesian Military (TNI), were adorned with dozens of flower boards bearing messages calling on the government to curb radicalism.

“We are ready to support the military and the police to eradicate radicalism and maintain the unity of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia [NKRI],” read one flower board that had been put on the front yard of the Jakarta Police headquarters in Senayan, South Jakarta.

“Save the NKRI, curb radicalism,” read another flower board.

The two flower boards were among more than 20 flower arrangements set up at the police’s headquarters.

“To be honest, we have no idea who put all these flowers here,” said Jakarta Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Argo Yuwono on Wednesday.

He appreciated the act and deemed it to be part of the nation’s democracy.

“Certainly, this is a form of citizens showing their aspirations. They address their appreciation and motivations toward the police. They will encourage us to continue safeguarding Jakarta,” Argo said.

Flower boards were also sent to the State Palace as a token of gratitude to President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo for his role in maintaining Pancasila as the state ideology.

The senders, however, also pointed out that the police and the military were still an important part of guarding Jakarta from the threat of disunity and radicalism.

The gesture came a few weeks after the Jakarta runoff election, described by experts as the country’s most polarizing election with racial and religious issues overshadowing the city’s most critical problems, including education and infrastructure.

Riding a growing wave of religious conservatism, former culture and education minister Anies Baswedan won the election, beating incumbent Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama, who was dogged by allegations he had committed blasphemy while seeking election.

Some political experts said Anies owed his success in the runoff election to Muslim voters who decided to throw their support behind him, mobilized by Muslim groups, including the hard-line Islam Defenders Front (FPI).

Following Ahok’s loss in the election, thousands of people showed their support for the governor by turning City Hall into a jungle of colorful flower boards last week.

Admirers sent flower boards to express their sympathy, sadness, or support for Ahok and Deputy Governor Djarot Saiful Hidayat, who conceded defeat in the April 19 election ahead of the official announcement of the results.

A political analyst from Indo Barometer, M. Qodari, said that the flowers sent to the military and the police headquarters were a clear sign that there were some Jakarta residents who were worried about the impact of the election.

Qodari described the flowers as a “cry for help” from Jakarta residents, besides being a token of gratitude to law enforcement officers.

“Some people are worried that recently conservative groups have gotten a bigger stage and have taken control of the public sphere,” he told The Jakarta Post. “Therefore, they ask for help from the police and the military.”

Messages on other flower arrangements called for the police to arrest FPI leader Rizieq Shihab and to disband his organisation.

Responding to the messages, Argo said, “There is nothing wrong with sending messages through flowers. Deciding whether to say something has broken the law is up to the police.”

Police criticised over lie detector test administered to teenage victim of ring

Arrest Warrants have been issued for 11 people – four policemen who have been dismissed from the civil service and seven civilians – implicated in the Mae Hong Son coerced-prostitution ring scandal.

Deputy police spokesman Pol Colonel Krissana Pattanacharoen said yesterday that national police chief General Chakthip Chaijinda instructed case investigators to gather evidence and prosecute those involved without exception.

Anti-Human Traffic Division (ATHD) inspector Pol Lt-Colonel Sitthinan Sitthikamjorn said yesterday before five civilian suspects were transported to Bangkok, that they still maintained their innocence and refused to implicate others. He said officers would be applying for more arrest warrants soon.

AHTD officers yesterday brought five suspects, including four women, for interrogation at the Royal Thai Police (RTP) head office in Bangkok.

Deputy national police chief Srivara Ransibrahmanakul attended the interrogation.

During a press conference yesterday, the former police informant said no other people were involved in the ring and the five civilians had supplied 20 girls to customers.

A 43-year-old former police informant, who exposed the prostitution ring in the search for her victimised teenage daughter, was also brought in to identify suspects.

Meanwhile yesterday, applications for arrest warrants filed for a police corporal in Provincial Police Region 5, a police lieutenant colonel in the Border Patrol Police Bureau and a public school teacher were dismissed.

Mae Hong Son provincial court said the men – accused of paying for sex services from the prostitution ring – were civil servants with known addresses and were not a flight risk.

In denying the warrants, the court asked police investigators to issue summonses for the three men instead, a source at the RTP said.

Arrest warrant applications were filed for three other local policemen on April 29 relating to the same case.

The court also dismissed recommended the issuance of summonses on the same grounds.

Police are hunting for an illegal Chinese tour guide who abandoned 24 Chinese tourists at the side of the road in Phang Nga yesterday evening after arguing with them about money.

The tourist police received a report of the incident from the Chinese Consul in Phuket at about 7pm. The tourists had called the consulate for help after they were left stranded on the Kok Kloi-Phang Nga road.

“At the scene, we found 24 tourists standing outside the bus, along with Nipon Choochom, the bus driver, and Teerasak Saehuang, the Thai tour guide. The Chinese guide, known only as Ms Ammy, had already run away,” said Capt Pittaya Thanawut of the Phuket Tourist Police.

After questioning the driver and Thai tour guide, police found that they were heading to the 777 restaurant in Phang Nga for dinner.

“On the way there, Ms Ammy started arguing with the tourists about some ‘additional fees’ for the Similan Islands trip they had just completed. When the tourists threatened to inform the Chinese Embassy, Ms Ammy asked the bus driver to stop the bus and then ran off,” said Capt Pittaya.

The passengers, driver and tour guide were taken to Khok Kloi Police Station for further questioning.

The tourists told police that they had booked tours with the Xin Xing Travel & Trading Co Ltd. They had arrived in Phuket on April 29 and were scheduled to leave on May 6.

Police then called the company’s representatives to the station for negotiation.

“The tour company agreed to upgrade the travellers’ hotel rooms and food for the remainder of the trip, changed their tour guide and offered a two-hour spa massage package,” he added.

Thai tour guide Mr Teerasak was charged with allowing others without a guide licence to perform his duty for him.

“Beside taking action against Mr Teerasak, we are now working on tracking down Ms Ammy, and are also investigating the company for hiring an illegal tour guide. We have yet to charge the company as we are awaiting further evidence,” said Capt Pittaya.

A Russian tourist was injured after he fell from the Laem Promthep promontory into the sea at Rawai Tuesday evening.

“The accident occurred at about 5:45pm. We found Kashirin Aleksei, 41, trying to swim toward a rock in order to avoid being washed away by the current, which was quite strong at the time,” said Lt Sakarin Sangjaroen of Chalong Police.

“Locals and rescue workers came to his aid and he was safely lifted out of the water,” the policeman said.

Aleksei sustained injuries all over his body, including his feet, arms and face. He was taken to Mission Hospital Phuket for treatment.

“We later learned that he was staying at a hotel in Nai Harn and had gone to Cape Promthep to enjoy the sunset with his girlfriend. They went up to the top of the promontory, when he suddenly lost his footing and fell into the water,” said Lt Sakarin.