"We have details of Uighur men but we can't trace them" - IGP Khalid Abu Bakar

Police have received information on the two Turkish men of Uighur ethnicity suspected of plotting terrorist attacks in Thailand, but are unable to trace them in the country.

The men were reportedly fled Thailand to Malaysia at the end of March.

Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said police are now working closely with Thailand authorities to monitor the situation.

He said currently, the police have increased surveillance and and stringent checks at every entry point.

'We have their details from our counterpart in Thailand but unfortunately we are unable to verify if they have entered the country legally. So, we are looking at possibilities of entering illegally," he said at a press conference today.

"Based on the reports from our Thai counterpart, we are unable to trace their whereabouts in the country. We are still trying to trace them," he added.

Also present at the press conference was deputy IGP Datuk Seri Noor Rashid Ibrahim.

Yesterday, Immigration Department director-general Datuk Sakib Kusmi said there were no traces of the two men.

READ: No information on two Uighur men entering Malaysia so far

He said the department was always on the alert and would have detected them if they had entered via any checkpoints.

He said the department had been notified of the two men, and always took precautions and carried out stringent checks, especially in relation to travel documents at the border.

The Governor of Surat Thani, Thailand, Wongsiri Promchana told Bernama that based on information received from the Phuket Immigration Office, the two men were allegedly heading to Malaysia.