Night violence in deep South

Police found the body of, Asmi Kudeng, 43, a janitor at an elementary school in Yala's Tambon Krong Pinang riddled with bullets lying next to his motorbike on the side of the a backroad.

Asmi was on his way to work when two gunmen drove up from behind and fired six shots at close range, killing the victim at the crime scene.

In late Tuesday evening, in Yala's Yaha district, Sahadi Hamah, 16, was gun down in his village as he was about to take part in a bathing ritual for an evening prayer. Police said gunmen used automatic rifles and killed him on the spot.

In the same Tambon Pathae of Yaha district of the same evening, a gunman stormed into Mahropee Malee, 42, a resident of Yala's Tambon Kabang, while he was having dinner with his family and commenced fire with automatic rifles, killing him in front of his wife and children.

Shortly after midnight Wednesday, also in the same tambon, a pickup truck belonging to a local resident was set on fire damaging it beyond repair. An identifiable body was found sitting on the driver seat and burnt beyond recognition. Police believe the victim was shot dead inside of his vehicle and then set on fire.

In Narathiwat, about 01:30 Wednesday morning, an elementary school was reported to have been burnt down in an arson attack overnight.

Police accused Malay Muslim separatists of being behind the violence but human rights organisations and local residents accused the authorities of employing death squad to carry out hits against suspected separatists and sympathisers.