A Muslim village chief was shot dead as he entered a mosque in Pattani in south of Thailand on Friday, police said.
The attack took place before morning prayers in Pattani, one of three mainly Muslim provinces near the Malaysian border, where close to 3,500 people have died in pro-freedom move since 2004.
Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat provinces were part of a Malay Muslim sultanate until occupied by Buddhist Thailand a century ago, and pro-independence moves have arised ever since.
Local Muslims largely oppose the presence of tens of thousands of police, soldiers and state-armed Buddhist guards in the rubber-rich region and many suspect the authorities of carrying out extrajudicial killings.
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