BANGKOK, November 3 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - Amid mounting fears of spreading violence across Thailand over the killings of scores of Thai Muslims by security forces, a local Buddhist official was beheaded in what seems a revenge act for the custody deaths of Thai Muslims.

A deputy village chief of the Sukhirin district in Narathiwat province was found beheaded Tuesday November 2, Agence France Presse (AFP) reported.

A hand-written note was found with the slain body stressing the beheading was in retaliation for the killing of Thai Muslims in the Tak Bai district.

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

On Monday, three traders were wounded when they came under fire from gunmen who left notes that the attack was also in retaliation for the Tak Bai victims.

Amnesty International has urged the Thai government to impartially investigate the deaths.

The custody deaths of Thai Muslims also dominated discussions of the parliament but in a unprecedented “punch-kicking” style.

A Thai parliament member and former national police chief Pratin Santiprapob, punched his fellow member Adul Wanchaithanawong in the face amid a legislative session to discuss last week's incident.

The brawl occurred as another senator from the capital, Chermsak Pinthong, a prominent critic of the government, released a booklet criticizing the police forces’ handling of a protest last week that led to the killings.

Adul interrupted Chermsak as he spoke on the podium to tell him he had spoken for long enough, prompting Pratin to leap to his defense and allude to “somebody” being a major drug trader.

Adul demanded that Pratin name who he was referring to, but Pratin sat silently. Then Adul leapt to his feet and walked towards Pratin, who stood up and gave a double hit at Adul's face.

Adul filed charges of assault against his parliament fellow member.

“I had to file the charge against him as I am a senator, not just a private citizen, and I was attacked in the assembly hall which should be observed with the utmost respect,” Adul told AFP.

Pratin, left, giving a double hit to Adul's face in parliament (AFP)

The spree of attacks gripping southern Thailand did not come as a surprise to observers, who stressed violence breeds more violence.

“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,” Prapat Thepchatree, a professor of political science at Thammasat University told AFP.

“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.”

Panitan Watanayagorn, one of Thailand's most respected security analysts, took the same position, stressing that intimidation is expected to increase in the country after the brutal Tak Bai incident.

“Kidnappings, attempted bombings and perhaps beheading of key figures could be taking place.”

He added the beheading of the local Thai resident was a copy-cat action inspired by the beheadings of hostages in Iraq.

Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Chinnawat named Tuesday the investigators who will launch an inquiry into the deaths of the Muslim detainees.

The crisis was triggered by the inhumane treatment and brutal loss of Muslim life(AFP)

The panel, including three Muslims, will report its findings to the prime minister by December 2.

Most Thai Muslims live in the five southern provinces bordering Malaysia.

Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat are the only Muslim majority provinces in the majority-Buddhist kingdom.

Muslims in these provinces have long complained of discrimination in jobs and education and business opportunities.

The South was a rich Malay kingdom until it was overrun by the Buddhist kingdom of Siam in the late 16th century when it declared its full independence from its earlier status of semi-independence under the rule of the Thai kingdoms of Sukhothai and Ayutthaya.

In 1909, it was annexed by the Kingdom of Siam as part of a treaty negotiated with the British Empire.

Both Yala and Narathiwat were originally part of Pattani, but were split off and became provinces of their own.

There still exists a separatist movement in violence lie in the late 1980s when the Pattani United Liberation Front (PULO) fought against the Thai forces for a separate Muslim South.

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad urged Thailand to consider autonomy  for its Muslim south, and called on separatist groups to drop their goal of independence.