Monks in Narathiwat will suspend seeking alms in the mornings because they have become popular targets of insurgents, as the province was riddled with explosions, drive-by shootings and arson yesterday.

Praku Passasorn Sirikhun, abbot of Kao Kong temple, said the suspension, starting tomorrow, would continue until the situation in the province returns to normal.

The decision was made at a meeting of senior monks in the province on Friday, the abbot said.

In recent months, monks and soldiers protecting them have become targets of attacks by suspected militants. Last month, the militants attacked monks who were asking for alms in the morning, killing two soldiers and injuring five monks.

The abbot said the meeting had decided to stop morning activities, partly because they were informed by intelligence units that more attacks on them are expected in the coming days. The militants would also force Buddhists to flee the province, fearing for their safety, he added.

"We will review the decision when the situation returns to normal. For now, people should go to their nearest temple to give food to the monks," he said.

Following the violence, the number of monks in the province has fallen from 300 to 100, he said.

Meanwhile, the number of Buddhists taking shelter at a local temple in Yala has risen. The people have left their houses for fear of being attacked by insurgents,.

Authorities said they expected the number to rise further, and they could not stop people from going to Nirotsangkharam temple. Villagers from Yala's Than To and Bannang Sata districts have left their homes to camp at the temple following a series of attacks on them.

By Friday, 170 Buddhists had taken shelter at the temple.

The mayor of Yala's Muang district, Pongsak Yingchoncharoen, said that having heard about the temple, people from nearby villages that were not engaged in violence had abandoned their homes to stay there.

Provincial authorities have prepared to accommodate them with necessities, Pongsak said, adding other private agencies had also donated food, clothes, blankets and money to help ease their suffering.

Dr Damrong Wae-alee, a psychiatrist at Yala Centre Hospital, said he was very worried about the mental health of people who have taken refuge at the temple, as they are nervous and under pressure.

"Many people here are worried and strained, particularly those who have lost family members and loved ones in the attacks. We give them medicine and send our personnel to follow up on the cases," he said.

Violence continued in Narathiwat and Yala provinces yesterday, when two border patrol police were killed and five others injured.

In Narathiwat, the violence started at about 12.30am when Molotov cocktails were lobbed into a teacher's abandoned home in Rusoh district, destroying the house.

Later, suspected militants planted explosives on the side of Bajoh-Banthon road, detonating them at about 7am and slightly injuring two soldiers patrolling near the site.

Meanwhile, soldiers found spikes scattered on many roads in Rusoh district, damaging the tyres of a number of cars. A small explosive was also found on the side of Rusoh-Narathiwat road. However the bomb squad defused it.

Sa-aree Yosoh, 59-year-old deputy village chief, was gunned down in a drive-by shooting near his house in Narathiwat. He was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.

Earlier in the day, suspected Islamic militants in Yala province shot dead two policemen.

"After the militants shot them, they smashed their heads into pieces with knives," police said. The victims were Sergeant Srichan Aiyawan, 59, and Sergeant Prasert Pidkam, 35.