The National Security Council has revealed that a number of Thai Muslim students studying in the Middle East are inclined towards separation of the three southern border provinces.
NSC secretary-general Thawip Netniyom made the remark following an NSC meeting chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon, who is in charge of national security. The armed forces leaders also attended the meeting on Thursday.
The deputy prime minister has instructed security agencies to monitor Muslim students from the three southern provinces who are studying abroad, particularly in the Middle East.
About 5,000 Muslim students from the southernmost region are studying mostly in Middle Eastern countries including Egypt, plus Pakistan and Indonesia. They are using either personal funds or scholarships granted by those countries. Most of them pursue religious studies.
Gen Thawip said more than 100 of them have shown an inclination towards the separation of the three southern border provinces.
However, there has been no information that any Thai Muslim studying in war-torn Syria had joined Islamic State, he said.
Gen Prawit has ordered a panel to be set up to deal with the matter by finding scholarships for those students to study in countries other than those in the Middle East. Scholarships granted by institutes in the Middle East countries may be screened by state authorities, he added.
He also noted that those who graduate in religious studies may have limited job opportunities and the government may have to step in to find work for them.