Shootings kill 11 in restive southern Thailand

Last Updated: Thu, 3 Sep 2009 23:13:00 +1000

Eleven people were shot dead as violence flared Wednesday in Thailand's majority-Muslim south, where a separatist rebellion has been going on for more than five years.

Police said militants shot dead 10 civilians and a soldier in Narathiwat and neighbouring Pattani province.

Many of those killed were Muslim, including a religious teacher and his 13-year-old son, police said.

Meanwhile, a motorcycle bomb exploded on Thursday outside a restaurant crowded with Buddhist customers in Pattani town, injuring at least 27 people, police said.

Almost 3,900 people have been killed during the five years of fighting.

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