xtremists murdered three Buddhists and two Muslims in drive-by shootings in Thailand's three insurgency wracked provinces of the South from Friday night to Saturday morning, local sources said Saturday.

Suspected Islamic militants shot dead a 25-year-old Muslim man at a local school in Yala province Friday night. Also in Yala, a 22-year-old Buddhist woman was gunned down at a local health office in a drive-by shooting, while another 43-year-old Buddhist man was shot dead by suspected militants when he drove a motorcycle. His wife was also injured in the attack.

In neighboring Pattani, a 45-year-old Muslim villager was shot dead at his house late Friday, police said, adding that two security guards at a hotel in Pattani were also shot.

In a separate development, extremists shot a teacher couple and their daughter in Yala Friday evening. The family were in critical condition after surgery.

The attackers also set four schools in Pattani on fire. Police said three schools were completely destroyed and another school was partially damaged when the insurgents launched simultaneous arson attacks on Friday night.

The latest shooting occurred on Saturday morning while a local person of Narathiwat's Ra-ngae district was shot dead by unidentified gunmen riding motorcycles.

The fresh attacks follow new efforts by Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont to bring peace to the South, where more than 1,700 people have been killed since the latest insurgency broke out in January 2004.

Gen. Surayud, who was installed by the military following the bloodless coup of Sept. 19, apologized two days ago to Muslims for the government's failure to quell the long-running insurgency. He also vowed to hold peace talks with militants, although no one has claimed so far to be a leader of the insurgents.

Source: Xinhua