Children head to school under Army protection in Pattani’s Yarang district following the summer break.

The military is asking journalists in the deep South to join a "media army" to wage a propaganda war against militants in the region, a military spokesman said yesterday.

"Militants use our mass media to transmit misinformation to the world that the government is failing to contain violence and protect local Muslims," Army spokesman Akra Thiproj said.

He was speaking at a meeting in Hat Yai where journalists and editors from all media outlets in the three southernmost provinces had been invited to discuss his plan to set up what he called a media army.

The military wants to ban militants' information from the Thai mass media, Akra said.

It wants the media to report from its perspective and focus on the work of officials and how local people participate in their activities, Akra said.

Journalists at the meeting did not say whether they would allow the military to direct their reporting.

Akra said there would be another meeting to discuss the details of the plan on Saturday.

Propaganda is one measure the military employs to contain violence in the predominantly Mus-lim region, where more than 2,000 people have been killed in insurgent-related violence over the past three years.

Meanwhile, security officials yesterday raided five locations in Narathiwat's Tanyonglimo sub-district in search of those involved in a bomb attack that killed seven special-forces members early this month.

Officials, including forensic expert Khunying Dr Pornthip Rojanasunant, examined at least 10 motorbikes and found two that contained DNA fingerprints similar to those found at the crime scene.

It was unclear, however, who owned the two motorbikes.

Violence continued in the restive region yesterday when three people were killed and 13 others injured in many separate incidents, including a bomb.

In Narathiwat's Waeng district, the bomb injured six officials and five local residents as the officials were inspecting the area after a light explosion earlier.

A group of officials and bomb experts rushed to check the location at the back of the Waeng district hall after a loud explosion went off at about 4.50 p.m. However, while they were examining the bomb and location, another powerful bomb went off and hurt them as well as damaged two motorbikes and a pickup truck.

Earlier in Narathiwat's Si Sakhon district, a 37 year old villager was shot dead and another person was injured when they were riding on a motorbike.

In Yala's Kabang district, a mother and a son were attacked in a drive-by-shooting that killed the 16 year old boy. His mother, 51, was seriously injured.

In Pattani's Nong Chik, a backhoe tractor driver was shot dead and burned in an attack while he took a rest after lunch yesterday.