A village headman was killed and his friend seriously wounded in a drive-by shooting in restive southern province of Pattani on Friday, Bangkok Post online reported.

Pol Col Kongath Suwankham said the attack occurred on Friday morning on a local road in Pattani's Mayo district.

Witnesses told police that Abdulloh Maseng, 39, chief of Ban Look Phai village, and his friend were travelling in his sedan when gunmen on a pickup truck opened fire on them with AK47 assault rifles. The assailants then fled.

Abdulloh took bullets in the body and died instantly in driving seat. His friend, Kade Mali, 49, was shot several times in the body and was taken to Mayo hospital.

Police were investigating into the incident.

More than 5,000 people have been killed and more than 9,000 hurt in over 11,000 incidents, about 3.5 incidents a day, in Thailand's three southern border provinces -- Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat -- and four districts of Songkhla since violence erupted in January 2004, according to Deep South Watch, which monitors the regional violence.