Thirteen Myanmar soldiers were killed near Thai border after clashing with an unidentified armed group, Thai army officials said.Army Spokesman Col.

A bomb blast killed two top provincial officials on Friday in Thailand's insurgency-plagued south, authorities said, a week after the kingdom held its first formal peace talks with rebels. The deputy governor of Yala province, Issara Thongthawat, was killed along with Yala permanent secretary responsible for security, Chavalit Krairisk, after a roadside bomb struck their vehicle, officials said. Issara, 56, was rushed to hospital but later died, southern army spokesman Colonel Pramote Promin told AFP by telephone.

Thailand's central bank left its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 2.75 percent on Wednesday, with policymakers citing the ongoing strength of the kingdom's economy. The Bank of Thailand said domestic demand was expected to continue to be a key engine for growth, supported by buoyant household income and high employment. "The Thai economy is projected to moderate towards a normal trend in the first quarter of 2013, after accelerating in the previous quarter," said assistant governor Paiboon Kittisrikangwan.

In a sweltering training camp on a tropical Thai island, sweaty tourists wearing oversized gloves and baggy shorts slam their fists, knees, elbows and feet into a row of heavy bags. Welcome to the latest craze in extreme fitness -- Muay Thai boxing. With worries growing about the world's bulging waistlines, many foreigners are flocking to Thailand to spend their holidays not on the beach, but following a punishing regime of training in Muay Thai and other martial arts.