June 3, 2008
YALA, Thailand - Suspected separatists killed five people in the south, according to the police. The death toll in the region soared to 3,300 in more than four years of violence.
A spree of shootings hit the far south on Monday evening, with two Muslim men in their 50s and a teenager killed in separate attacks across Narathiwat province.
In Pattani province, a 45-year-old Buddhist man was shot dead on the same night, while in Yala province militants attacked a house, killing a 15-year-old Muslim boy and injuring his four-year-old sister.
Officials at Southern Police Headquarters on Tuesday reported that 475 people have been killed so far this year in violence related to the separatist insurgency, according to AFP.
That raises the total number of people killed since the latest rebellion broke out in January 2004 to more then 3,300 people, including government officials, soldiers, civilians and militants.
Despite attempts by various governments to curb the bloodshed, the murky nature of the insurgency has prevented much progress, with no groups claiming responsibility for the attacks or making any demands.
Human rights groups, meanwhile, say abuses by the army have created a deep mistrust between the local Muslim community and the authorities.
