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Authorities said the five men held after a search of 70 homes had been involved in a wave of bombings and shootings in the three southernmost provinces.

One of the men detained is a Cambodian national who did not have proper travel documents, police said.

It was not clear if any of the five had warrants out for their arrest or whether they had been detained under martial law.

Elsewhere in Narathiwat, gunmen shot dead two defence volunteers guarding a public school, while a deputy village chief was gunned down in neighbouring Yala province.

In Pattani province, 51yearold Charnarong Chaiwanond, the owner of a spareparts shop, survived an attack on his life when a gunman riding pillion on a motorcycle drove up from behind and fired at least six rounds at him from an 11mm handgun.

Locals took Charnarong to a nearby hospital after the attack, which took place in front of a teashop on the PattaniNarathiwat Highway.