A village leader was gunned down by two suspected Singchai Salae, 37, was heading to a tea shop on a motorcycle when he was attacked by two men who followed him on another motorcycle.
The pillion rider fired at him with an AK47. When the victim and his motorcycle fell to the ground, the other man fired more shots at him with a handgun, killing him instantly. The two attackers then took a 9mm pistol from Singchai before fleeing.
Singchai had been working with Gen Pichet Wisaijorn, the assistant army chief, on a sufficiency economy project for the village. The project later became a model for other villages in the three southern border provinces.
Police said Singchai had earlier survived two similar attacks.
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50 troops from Narathiwat Taskforce 32 were sent to besiege a house after learning that
The troops returned fire, killed two of them and arrested the other.
One of the slain suspects was identified as Rophi Kuado, 46.
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The rangers were traveling on a motorcycle when gunmen on a pickup truck shot at them before fleeing. One of them died at the scene and his colleague was seriously injured.
Police blamed separatist