BANGKOK, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's headline inflation rate remained negative for the second consecutive month in May, driven by falling food and energy prices, official data showed on Friday.

The Southeast Asian country's consumer price index (CPI) fell 0.57 percent last month from a year earlier, quickening from a 0.22 percent decrease in April, according to the Ministry of Commerce.

The May reading came in below the central bank's target range of 1 percent to 3 percent for the third straight month. ■