Key militant among three killed

Marohpee Itae, 26, was found dead in front of his house in Rangae district. His body was riddled with AK47 bullets. He had been granted bail while on trial in a provincial court in connection with violence in the predominantly Muslim region.

Lt Col Suthipong Sophonsukkul, deputy commander of Rangae police, said militants in the same cell as Marohpee might have wanted to silence him so that they would not be incriminated in court.

In another incident in Narathiwat on Tuesday, one person died and three police were injured when a bomb exploded.

The bomb was hidden in a motorbike parked at a drug store in Sungai Padi district. Police said the blast, ignited by remote control, also damaged a pickup truck and a sedan.

In Yala province's Muang district, a fruit merchant was shot dead while riding a motorbike. Muhama Sudee was hit once and died instantly.

Authorities are struggling to contain violence in the deep South, where more than 2,300 people have been killed since the beginning of 2004.

The Nation