Two men riding on a motorcycle attacked a pickup truck carrying seven students to Rueso Kindergarten school in Narathiwat's Rueso district and killed the driver in full view of the horrified students on Thursday morning, police said.
Pol Col Anothai Jindamanee, superintendent of Ruso police station, said police first received a report of the shooting about 7.30am.
Mayeeda Lameng, a 45-year-old villager who witnessed the attack, told investigators that the man riding pillion on the motorcycle opened fire at the pickup truck's driver.
The driver was named as Pannawat Tohfai, aged 38. He was hit three times, in the head and upper body, with bullets from an 11mm calibre handgun and died on the spot.
Mr Mayeeda said the shooting happened in full view of the seven students, who were seated in the back of the vehicle. All the children were safe, but in shock.
Police blamed insurgents.
The attack occurred a day after more than 700 teachers in the deep South took an oath not to abandon their students in the restive border region at a ceremony in Narathiwat to mark Teachers' Day.
A garbage truck falls into a ditch after being attacked by suspected insurgents on Jan 17, 2013. (Photo by Abdulloh Benjakat)
In Pattani province, three employees of a tambon administration organistion (TAO) were wounded, one of them seriously, in an attack on a garbage truck and its crew in Khok Pho district.
Pol Lt-Col Chamlong Suwarat, the Napradu police chief, said the incident occurred about 10am while the garbage truck operated by Makrut TAO was travelling along the Napradu-Naket road through Ban Yang Daeng in tambon Napradu, heading for a garbage dump.
Two men caught up on a motorcycle and opened fire at the truck with handguns. The driver lost control and the truck rammed into a tree and into a roadside ditch.
Somchok Madmalai, 48, the driver, was shot in the head and seriously wounded. Also wounded were garbage collectors Serm Poonkaew, 56, who was hit in the right shoulder, and Prapas Ounthong, 50, who was shot in the left leg. All were admitted to Khok Pho district hospital.
Police blamed Islamist militants. The three wounded were also members of the Ban Yang Daeng village defence unit.
In Pattani's Khok Pho district, a 78-year-old Muslim rubber grower was shot dead while taking a ritual bath on Thursday morning.
Pol Col Suchart Asawin, superintendent of Khok Pho police station, said police received a report of a shooting at a house in tambon Khok Pho about 7am.
Officers sent to the scene found the body of Rorham Dorlor, who was shot in the head.
Meenoh Mahmu, 68, the victim's wife, told police that her husband was taking a ritual bath at a pond next to their house in the early morning when it was still dark. She heard a gunshot. When she went outside the house she found her husband had been slain.
Police said Rorham had regularly exhorted youths in the area not to be involved in drugs.