In the latest way of violence attributed to Islamic separatists, a Thai couple throats are slit, the impact of which was so hard, their heads were nearly severed.

Jad Suwanchatri, 52, and his wife Serm, 51, stopped their motorcycle on Friday, to clear a log from a road in Yala province. Assailants ambushed them, shooting Jad, and then cutting each of their throats. The couple's dog, traveling with them in a sidecar, was also slashed to death.

The couple were buddhists, who worked at a local rubber plantation.

The murder is suspected to be part of a series of violent attacks, executed by Islamic separatists, aimed at local Buddhists. Over 880 have died since January 2004 in Yala, Pattani, and Narathiwat provinces, largely dominated by Muslims.

Also on Friday, two unidentified gunmen shot and killed a school principal in Narathiwat province, as she was riding a motorcycle during the school's lunchtime. After the incident, the school temporarily closed.

Southern Thai Muslims have long complained of unfair treatment, in jobs and education, by the central government.