Four militant suspects die in Thai south shoot-out

YALA: Four suspected militants were killed in an early morning firefight with government security forces in Thailand's violence-prone south on Friday, police said. Soldiers, rangers and police swept into a remote village in Yala province  near the Malaysian border at dawn looking for the men, who were thought to be linked to an insurgency that has raged for more than seven years.

All four died in the ensuing 15-minute shoot-out and police said officers recovered handguns and assault rifles at the scene.

"We asked them to surrender but they did not heed the demand," said Panu Uthairat, head of Southern Borders Provinces Administrative Centre, a civilian  development and oversight body. He added that the men were wanted on long-standing arrest warrants. More than 4,500 people, both Muslims and Buddhists, have died in almost daily attacks since shadowy insurgents launched an uprising in Thailand's  southernmost region in early 2004.