BANGKOK, Nov. 9 (Xinhuanet) -- Three civilians were killed by separatists on Tuesday morning in Thailand's violence-plagued deep south, while village security guards were robbed of weapons.

    A 60-year-old rubber tapper was found beheaded near his houses in Changpeuk village in the province of Narathiwat, lying some 1,000 kilometers south of Bangkok and neighboring Malaysia to the south.

    The victim identified as Kaew was believed to have been killed at least 6 hours before being discovered, according to the state-run Thai News Agency (TNA).

    He's the second in one week that was beheaded by separatists after 85 local demonstrators dying in a riot in the Tak Bai district of Narathiwat.

    Also on Tuesday morning, a couple of young civilians were killed on their way to work in the southern province of Yala.

    TNA reported the two died after two gunmen on motorcycle spraying them with bullets.

    A 55-year-old village leader was shot dead and beheaded last Tuesday in Narathiwat. Leaflets found out around the victims body predicted more killing of civilians in revenge of the 85 dying in Tak Bai.

    In the incident of Tak Bai, six demonstrators died in clashed with the authorities, while 78 among 1,300-odd detainees died of suffocation when transported by military trucks for investigation.

    The incident has pushed death toll resulted from the deep south' s constant violence to over 400 in the past 10 months.

    The region, home to most of Thailand's small pocket of Muslim population, has fallen into spiraling violence created by revived local separatists.

    During the past 10 months, the insurgents attacked government places, ambushed security forces, shot civilians of both Muslim and Buddhism and vandalized schools.Enditem