Two soldiers are being held bound and gagged in Thailand's troubled south, as hundreds of villagers prevent security forces from retrieving them.

The men were seized after a drive-by shooting in the village of Tanyong Limo, which left one person dead.

Villagers took the two soldiers, who were not in uniform, and accused them of being involved in the shooting.

Thai authorities said the two were in fact chasing the suspected militants who carried out the attack.

VIOLENCE-HIT SOUTH

Home to most of Thailand's 4% Muslim minority

Muslim rebels fought the government up to the mid-80s

Suspected militants have upped attacks since 2004, targeting Buddhists

Security forces' response criticised by rights groups

Thailand's restive south

Thailand's largely Muslim southern provinces have been hit by a wave of violence for more than a year and a half, leaving more than 900 people dead.

The government has blamed Muslim separatists, while local people have been angered by the security forces' actions.

According to the governor of Narathiwat province, Pracha Terat, the situation in Tanyong Limo remained tense.

He said the villagers had refused to negotiate with local officials, and had called for journalists from nearby Malaysia to come and report on the incident, since they did not trust the Thai media.

BBC NEWS

The BBC reports that the soldiers have been murdered.

Weve got a thread running here about the subject.