Bangkok - The owner of Thailand's popular Farang restaurants was shot and killed while sitting in of one of his eateries early Saturday, local media on the island of Phuket reported.

Chid Raknang, also known by his nickname Kit, had recently opened a Farang restaurant in the capital Bangkok after two other ventures blossomed on the resort island.

The former head chef at a five-star hotel offered food one reviewer recently called "a real shining light among places to eat in Phuket."

Police said a drive-by gunman riding a motorbike killed Chid at around 1 am. The name of his restaurants, Farang, caused some amusement locally because it translates into English as the somewhat derogatory word for white foreigner.

In Thailand business disputes are sometimes resolved by a paid assassination. Phuket is particularly prone to fierce tussles between entrepreneurs because profits can be big and are widely coveted. (dpa)