More than 4,300 people, both Muslims and Buddhists, have been killed in Thailand's deep south bordering Malaysia in six years of unrest blamed on Muslim separatist insurgents.
The gunmen ambushed a van carrying the religious teacher and two Muslim politicians in Narathiwat province, said Police Major Colonel Chaitat Intanoojit. All three of the men, who had just left a regular meeting with military officials at a base, were killed, he said.
The rubber-rich provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat were part of a Muslim sultanate annexed a century ago by predominantly Buddhist Thailand. About 80 per cent of the people in the poor region are Muslim and speak a Malay dialect.
The violence has ranged from drive-by shootings to bombings and beheadings. The targets are often Buddhists and Muslims associated with the Thai state, such as police, soldiers, government officials and teachers.
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