Two Buddhists killed in Thai Muslim south

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NARATHIWAT, Jun 23 (AFP): Two Buddhist men were shot dead Saturday, including one whose body was set ablaze by suspected insurgents in Thailand's Muslim-majority south, police said.
A 46-year-old man was shot dead on a rubber plantation and then burned beyond recognition in Narathiwat province, while a 38-year- old man was killed in a drive-by shooting in nearby Pattani province, police said.
The killings came as five schools were burned to the ground overnight in Songkhla province, they added.
After a week of gruesome violence, including a partial beheading and the shooting deaths of three young teenagers, Thailand's army- installed Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont conceded Saturday that his effort to open talks with militants had made little headway.