Bangkok (AsiaNews/Agencies) - Two Muslims have been killed in separate incidents in southern Thailand, as the country marks the second anniversary of the outbreak of unrest in the mainly Muslim provinces bordering Malaysia.

Police say a village chief in Pattani province was shot dead on Tuesday as he returned home from a mosque where he volunteered as a security guard.

In nearby Narathiwat province, a village deputy chief, also a volunteer security guard in his village, was shot dead on Wednesday at a tea shop. Police suspect Muslim militants are behind both killings.

The unrest in southern Thailand erupted on January 4, 2004, when militants launched a raid on a weapons depot in Narathiwat province.

Since then, more than 1,000 people have been killed in near-daily shootings, bombings and arson attacks in Narathiwat and neighbouring Pattani and Yala provinces.

No group has claimed responsibility for any of the incidents. While Muslim militants are blamed, it is believed criminals and corrupt officials may be using the unrest as a cover to settle disputes.

The presence of 30,000 soldiers and police in the region has mostly angered local southerners who have complained of unfair treatment at the hands of Bangkok officials.