Suspected separatist rebels shot dead two men in separate incidents in Thailand's Muslim-majority south over the weekend, police said Sunday. A 27-year-old Buddhist who was working for the police was killed in a drive-by shooting in Narathiwat province on Saturday evening, while on Sunday a 59-year-old Muslim was shot dead in the same province, local police said.
More than 2,900 people have been killed since separatist violence erupted along the southern border with Malaysia four years ago. The region was once an autonomous Malay sultanate, but was annexed by Buddhist Thailand a century ago.
Thailand has long insisted that the conflict is an entirely domestic issue, but Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej on Friday suggested that foreign militants could be stoking the unrest.
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