Cop's wife shot dead, set on fire in market

A policeman's wife was shot dead and set on fire in front of terrified shoppers at a busy market in Thailand's violence-ridden deep south, officials said yesterday.

The 28-year-old Buddhist woman was gunned down in an apparent revenge attack on Sunday afternoon as she returned to her car from a market in the Ratapanyang area of Pattani province.

A local police officer said a note left at the scene indicated the attack was in revenge for the deaths last week of three Muslim brothers - aged three, five and nine.

Insurgents blame Thai authorities for the boys' deaths although there has been no official evidence to back up the claim.

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