BANGKOK - A defence volunteer was shot in front of his house in the restive province of Yala early Friday morning and later died, Bangkok Post online reported.

About 12:15 am local time, Kasaman Sadeemae, 23, a village defence volunteer in Yala's Raman, was waiting for his colleague to pick him up to go on duty when a gunman riding pillion on a motorcycle sprayed bullets on him with an M16 assault rifle. The assailants then fled.

Kasaman was seriously injured and taken to Raman hospital by his relatives. The victim was later forwarded to Yala hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Police blamed separatist militants.

Since the resurgence of insurgency in 2004, around 11,000 violent incidents instigated by secessionists in the Muslim- dominant southernmost provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat have taken place, with almost 5,000 people killed and nearly 8,000 injured.