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Published on December 19, 2007

Militants are suspected of shooting and beheading a village chief and fatally shooting three security volunteers in Yala's Bannang Sata district yesterday.

Police found four dead bodies, including one headless, in a pickup truck parked on a road at about 9.30am.

All bodies were those of local Muslims. According to police, the group was on their way home when about 10 militants on another pickup fired M-16 and AK-47 rifles at them.

Village chief Maleh Mongyadeng, 35, had his head cut off - it was found a few metres away.

Another Muslim on the truck, Saidee Yusoh, survived the attack but was in a serious condition when admitted to hospital.

Two hours earlier in Yala's Muang district, a bomb hidden in front of a house injured two soldiers on patrol. The bomb, set off by a mobile phone, also damaged the house's roof.

Police nabbed three suspects from a site nearby after an electronic detector indicated they were carrying explosive substances.

More than 2,700 people have been killed in the far South since the beginning of 2004, and authorities are still struggling to contain the violence.

In a separate incident, border immigration authorities in Tak Bai district detained a suspect believed to be a militant cell leader when he sought to cross over to Malaysia.

Hari Ri, or Chanchai Seng, was wanted in connection with many violent incidents, and is said to have changed his identity several times to escape arrest. He had been known to flee to Malaysia after being involved in violent acts, police said.

Meanwhile, in Narathiwat's Rusoh district, police arrested two teenagers for planting a bomb in a retail shop.

Bubaroh Loma, 21, was slightly injured when the bomb he was trying to leave in the store went off. Arasu Kaseng, 19, who was riding a motorbike with Bubaroh, was also arrested.

The Nation