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Police have so far arrested eight religious teachers from the private elementary and high school, which has about 600 students and 59 teachers, at least half of whom are Islamic religious teachers.

Abdulohni Kahamah, secretary of the Association of Islamic Private Schools in the Five Southernmost Provinces, said the closure would create difficulties for the remaining students and teachers.

Punishing the entire school because of accusations against a handful of teachers would be a mistake on the part of the authorities, he said.

He suggested a cut in the government's subsidy for the students as punishment, instead of closing the entire institution.

Islam Burapha yesterday became the second private Islamic school to be ordered shut since violence erupted in the Malayspeaking deep South more than three years ago.

Deputy Narathiwat governor Nathapon Wicheanpert said police had found sufficient evidence of insurgent activities at the school, including weapons and explosives materials in the teachers' quarters and the students' dormitory.

The authorities believe that a number of other teachers from the school are involved and may be on the run.

Islam Burapha is affiliated with Samphan Withaya, an Islamic school run by Masae Useng, one of the most wanted suspects in the insurgency.

Nathapon said authorities would allocate the school's 600 students to three schools in Tak Bai and Muang districts.

The school's closure comes amid a stepped up offensive against insurgents in the deep South, with combined Army and police forces conducting sweeps of particular districts and detaining nearly 300 suspects for questioning so far.

A senior security officer defended a decision to employ direct pressure and make sweeping arrests of suspects in insurgentinfested areas.

He said the tactic succeeded in getting residents on the government's side and put a dent in insurgent activities.