BANGKOK: Southern Thailand militants have returned to beheading assassination victims, police confirmed on Sunday to Bikyanews.com. Authorities said they found the headless body of a rubber tapper in Yala's Than To district. It was the first beheading reported in the deep South since last Aug 12, when extremists killed a Yala grocery shop owner, placed his head on the roadside and set fire to his torso. A Bangkok Post report said militants have beheaded 53 victims since the upsurge in the war in January, 2004. Most of the victims have been Muslim civilians, apparent targets of retaliation and intimidation because of cooperation with government security forces. BN