Curfew has been imposed in one of Thailand's violence-plagued southern-most provinces after an attack at a Thai marine base which resulted in the death of 16 militants Wednesday morning.

About 1 a.m. Wednesday, over 30 fully armed militants raided a military base in Bacho district of restive Narathiwat province.

After a 20-minute exchange of fire between the Thai marine troops and the suspected separatists, 16 militants were killed, and there is no report of casualties of the Thai troops.

The military had learned of the attack in advance from defected militants, said Southern army spokesman Colonel Pramote Promin on Wednesday.

Sixteen assault rifles, a motorcycle and a pick-up truck were seized.

After the incident, the Thai security agency decided to impose a 24-hour curfew in four sub-districts and two nearby sub- districts from 6 a.m. Wednesday.

The curfew is aimed at helping the authorities track the assailants who were wounded in the assault, the spokesman said. For the safety of the public, the populace is banned from leaving home during the period, he added.

Apart from the incident at the marine base, fire was set at Ban Buere School early Wednesday morning in Bacho district, which is one kilometer from the base, but it was quickly put out, leaving only slight damage to the school.

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