Muslim family killed in Thailand's restive south

Fri Dec 4, 2009 8:28am GMT

PATTANI, Thailand Dec 4 (Reuters) - Three Muslims were shot dead in their family home in Thailand's deep south, police said on Friday, in the latest attack in the troubled region bordering Malaysia.

Unknown assailants broke into the victims' home in Pattani province late on Thursday and shot them in their living room, police said.

The victims were a 46-year-old rubber tapper, his wife and their 17-year-old son. Police blamed separatist insurgents bent on fuelling sectarian violence between local Muslims and minority Buddhists.

In a separate incident, a small explosive hidden in the basket of a motorcycle exploded outside a market on Friday, slightly wounding two civilians and two soldiers.

More than 3,700 people have been killed in almost six years of bloody violence in Muslim-dominated Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat provinces.

The government has deployed a massive security contingent in a so far unsuccessful attempt to crush ethnic Malay rebels thought to be fighting for self-rule in the once-independent region, which is just a few hours from some of Thailand's most popular tourist destinations.

The attacks came a few days ahead of a visit to the region by Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and his Malaysian counterpart, Najib Razak, who has advocated a degree of autonomy for the three provinces as a way of stopping the violence. (Reporting by Surapan Boonthanom; Writing by Ambika Ahuja; Editing by Martin Petty) ((ambika.ahuja@thomsonreuters.com; +662 648 9739)) ((If you have a query or comment on this story, send an email to news.feedback.asia@thomsonreuters.com))

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