"They are nothing more than just propagandists," said Thaksin, commenting on a BBC report quoting an unnamed senior Pulo member saying that Bangkok and Phuket could be targets of insurgent attacks.

"Maybe we will target other areas, like Bangkok or Phuket - I can't guarantee it won't happen. Everything depends on the government," BBC quoted the source.

Governors of Phuket and Songkhla, meanwhile, issued orders to step up security at airports to instil confidence for local and foreign visitors to the area.

Royal Thai Police spokesman, Pol Colonel Achirawit Suphan-phesat, urged all sides to remain calm and not to panic, saying the report was based on an unnamed source and that it had not been confirmed.

He said there is no intelligence information to support the claim that areas outside of the three southernmost provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat could come under attack.

The Nation