REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, PATTANI -- A Buddhist monk and three villagers were killed in Pattani's Mae Lan district in a gun attack this morning after a commercial bank employee was shot and burnt to death yesterday evening.

The attack occurred at Mae Lan sub-district as villagers were giving morning alms to a Buddhist monk from Wat Pa Suay at a pavilion in the heart of the village.

Five assailants, dressed as security personnel, arrived on two motorcycles and shot into a group of villagers.

The monk and three villagers were killed instantly, while a police officer in a monk-protection unit and five villagers were wounded.

The dead were identified as Buddhist monk Phanom Kanont, Somjai Khunkliang, a boy named Thitiwat Khunkliang, and Jamnien Buddharit, 59.

On Wednesday evening, a woman staff employee of a local Bangkok Bank branch was shot dead and burnt in Pattani's Yaring district.

Police said the victim was identified as Rassayamon Saelim, a 29-year-old employee working at the Bank's Nong Chik branch.

She was riding a motorbike along the Pattani-Narathiwat road from the bank to her home in Panare district.

The victim was shot by the unknown number of assailants who then poured petrol on her, and set her body alight.

A handwritten note was left at the scene, saying "To the army chief, this is not the last body for the three slain brothers."

It was believed that the note may refer to the killing of three boys in Narathiwat on Feb 3.

The authorities said the shooting was carried out by the insurgent group, while the insurgents have blamed Thai authorities for the boys' murder.

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