A defense employee in Thailand's restive southern border province Narathiwat was shot dead Sunday morning by suspected insurgents, Thai media reported.

The Thai News Agency reported Sunday that 28-year-old Mayakee Munoh, an temporary employee contracted with the Southern Border Provinces Peace-Building Command (SBPC), a self-defense establishment, was found dead near a rubber plantation in Rangae district of Narathiwat in the early morning.

Police believed Mayakee was ambushed by insurgents, who have staged a new wave of separatist violence in the three southernmost predominantly Muslim provinces of Narathiwat, Yala and Pattani bordering Malaysia since the beginning of 2004, causing more than 1,300 deaths.

The SBPC was established in October 2004 in a government effort to restore security in the region and promote mutual understanding between the government and the local people.

Source: Xinhua