YALA (Thailand) - THREE Muslim men including a suspected militant were killed in separate incidents in Thailand's restive south, police said on Saturday.

A 32-year-old labourer, working on the construction of a district hospital in Narathiwat province, was shot dead in a drive-by shooting early on Saturday.

In nearby Pattani province, a 53-year-old Islamic teacher was shot and killed in another drive-by shooting as he drove with his family from a local market. His wife and five-year-old son were also shot and are critically ill in hospital.

Late on Friday in Pattani, a 25-year-old man was shot dead in a gunfight with security officials after the arrests of five other suspected militants.

More than 3,400 people have been killed since separatist unrest erupted almost five years ago in the far southern region. Tensions have simmered since Thailand annexed the mainly ethnic Malay sultanate in 1902. -- AFP