Two people were killed in separate drive-by shootings in Pattani and Narathiwat on Saturday morning, police said.
Pol Lt Col Jirasit Lormae, deputy police chief of Mayo police station, said he received a report about 7.30am that a man was shot dead on a local road in Moo 3, tambon Trang of Pattani’s Mayo district.
He was identified as Wayeh Dorloh, 50, a resident of Moo 4, tambon Kado of Mayo district.
According to witnesses, Mr Wayeh was travelling on his motorcycle on the rural road heading to a teashop in the village when a gunman riding pillion on another motorcycle fired on him with handgun.
Mr Wayeh was shot twice in the head, body and died on the spot.
Police were investigating.
In Narathiwat, Abdulloh Pataebuenae, 59, a driver of rice truck, was killed in a shooting on the Rueso-Jakua road at Moo 3, tambon Sawor of Rueso district.
Pol Lt Ratchasit Luelan, duty officer of Rueso police station, said the attack occurred about 7.56am.
Witnesses told police that Abdulloh was driving his truck on the road when a gunman riding pillion of a motorcycle opened fired on him with M16 assault rifle.
Mr Abdulloh was shot and lost control of his truck, which crashed a roadside tree. He got off the vehicle and ran for his life into the roadside forest, where the gunman followed and shot him again at close range to make sure he was dead. The assailants then fled.
Police found nine spent M16 rifle cartridges scattered on the road. They blamed separatist militants.
According to Deep South Watch, which monitors the southern violence, more than 5,000 people have been killed and over 9,000 injured in more than 11,000 incidents, or about 3.5 a day, in the three southernmost provinces and the four districts of Songkhla since the violence erupted afresh in January 2004.