BANGKOK, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- A group of gunmen attacked a military station in southern province of Yala Wednesday morning, killing one soldier and injuring another four, a military source told Xinhua.

    The attack took place before 7:00 a.m. at Jakwa Village of Raman district in northeastern Yala, one of the three Muslim-dominant southernmost provinces in Thailand, where insurgency-related violence has claimed more than 1,700 lives since it reemerged in January 2004.

    One soldier died at the scene and four others were seriously injured and hospitalized after the gunmen arrived at the military station, where about ten soldiers were posted, in a pick-up truck and sprayed fire at the soldiers, using AK-47, M16 assault rifles and shotguns, the source said.

    The exchange of gunfire lasted about five minutes before the gunmen retreated.

    The victim was identified as Sergeant Sornkhom Ngamsifahwas. The report also put the number of attackers at six.

    In nearby Pattani province, suspected insurgents burned a strategically located police outpost with Molotov cockails in Waeng district late Tuesday night.

    No one was injured in the incident as there were no officers on duty at the time.

    Shootings and bombings continued in the three southern border provinces Yala, Narathiwat and Pattani, despite the newly-appointed interim government's attempt to seek a truce with insurgent leaders.

    Thailand's interim Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont is visiting neighboring Malaysia Wednesday. One of the top issue on the agenda of the one-day official trip would be seeking Malaysia's cooperation in solving the southern unrest. Enditem