6 killed, one injured in attacks in southern Thailand

Six people were killed and one was injured on Friday in two separate attacks in southern Thailand's Pattani province, local media reported. The first attack occurred in Mayo district as four gunmen in a pickup truck without license plate intercepted a vehicle of a local official and started a shooting spree. The official and his driver were killed on the spot and a passerby was accidentally shot dead. A 13-year-old student was injured by stray bullets. Later, four gunmen on two motorcycles raided a seafood processing business in Panareh district, killing the couple who owned the shop and an adult relative. The attackers then planted a bomb near the shop and it was later defused by the police. Southernmost provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat have frequently experienced violent incidents instigated by suspected secessionists since the resurgence of insurgency in January 2004, leaving over 4,500 people killed and more than 7,200 others injured.