YALA (Thailand) - TWO soldiers were killed and four others wounded by a bomb planted by separatist militants in Thailand's restive south on Friday, police said.

They said two civilians also died in separate other attacks also thought to be the work of the militants.

The soldiers were killed when a bomb exploded in a car parked in front of Yaha district administration office in troubled Yala province, police said.

The explosion targeted about eight soldiers patrolling the area in a pickup truck. A civilian woman was also wounded.

Late on Thursday night a 44-year-old food vendor was shot dead at his home in neighbouring Narathiwat province.

A few hours earlier in Yala province, a 26-year-old villager was shot dead at his home.

The southern region was an autonomous Malay Muslim sultanate until it was annexed by Thailand in 1902, sparking decades of tension.

On Tuesday the Thai government renewed emergency rule over the southern provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani, Yala and parts of Songkhla, where more than 3,700 people have died in a five-year insurgency.

Islamic rebels have targeted both Buddhists and Muslims, with victims ranging from security forces to civilians such as teachers and rubber plantation workers. -- AFP