3 killed, 1 injured in Thailand attacks

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BANGKOK, March 10 (UPI) -- Three people were killed and a fourth seriously wounded in four separate attacks this weekend in Thailand's Pattani province, officials said.

Police said Makosi Awae, 42, was killed in a gun attack while traveling in his car Sunday. Awae was shot several times during the attack by a group of men armed with rifles, the Bangkok Post reported.

Another deadly attack occurred Sunday morning when Nipa Promphet, 52, was shot dead while returning home from a market, the Post said. Promphet was the wife of a border patrol police officer.

Also Sunday morning, a deputy village headman, Abdulkordae Hayeesalae, 51, was shot three times during a surprise attack. The Post said he was in critical condition at a hospital.

And Saturday night, militants shot and killed a village headman, Mahamalayeng Waedamae, police said. The 50-year-old was killed outside a mosque, the Post reported.

The southern area of the country has been plagued by violence for years.

More than 5,000 people have been killed since 2004, Deep South Watch reported.