BANGKOK, Nov 2: The unrest in Thailand's south took another grisly turn on Tuesday with the beheading of a Buddhist village leader in a revenge killing for last week's deaths of 87 Muslims in the region, police said.

The death is the second beheading to occur in Thailand's three Muslim-majority provinces since January when a long-running insurgency flared anew, leaving 471 dead so far, according to official figures.

Police from Sukhirin district in Narathiwat province said that a local resident early On Tuesday found the head of deputy village chief Ran Tulae, in his late 50s and a native of Mamong village. Police found the rest of his body later.

"They left a leaflet in handwritten Thai saying this was in revenge for the innocent Tak Bai victims," an officer said.

He said they suspected he had died six to eight hours earlier.

Officials said 78 Muslims died after they were piled into military trucks for transport into custody on October 25 following a demonstration in Tak Bai, Narathiwat. Six others were shot dead at the demonstration and three more drowned.

Gunmen who shot and wounded three traders on Monday also left notes saying their attack was in retaliation for the Tak Bai deaths.

Prapat Thepchatree, associate professor of political science at Thammasat University, said he was not surprised by the beheading and feared attacks may worsen and spread across the country.

"Violence breeds more violence and the violent terror attacks may turn out to be more and more diversified, with more tactics and new kinds of killings, as we have seen all over the world," he said.

"I'm really worried about the increase in terrorist activities that may happen in Thailand, including in Bangkok, maybe in the future ... maybe the trend is going in that direction."

One of Thailand's most respected security analysts, Panitan Wattanayagorn, was also not surprised. He described the beheading as "an intimidation that is expected to increase after the Tak Bai incident.

"Kidnappings, attempted bombings and perhaps beheading of key figures could be taking place," he said, adding that Tuesday's attack may have been a copy-cat action inspired by the beheadings of hostages in Iraq.

The aim is "to further drive the Buddhist and Muslim communities" apart, he said.

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who is facing his biggest-ever crisis and has yet to apologize for the Tak Bai deaths, on Tuesday named the investigators who will immediately launch an independent inquiry into the case.

Three Muslims are among the nine who are expected to release their findings by December 2. Thaksin announced the inquiry last week as he came under intense international and domestic pressure to explain the tragedy.

In a separate attack late Monday Ku Issarakun, a teacher in Chanae district, Narathiwat, was shot and wounded while returning from work on the first day of the new school semester, police said.

A statement on the website of the separatist Patani United Liberation Organisation, in conjunction with the umbrella separatist group Bersatu, appealed for international probes.-AFP