Singapore has ordered a Muslim group to register its Internet portal as a political Web site after its leader said the government had prompted local Muslim terror plots by aligning itself with the United States and Israel.
The decision comes at a time of heightened sensitivity after arrests of Muslim militants across Southeast Asia suspected of having links to Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network, blamed by Washington for the September 11 attacks on the United States.
"Singapore Broadcasting Authority (SBA) has been tracking the Web site for some time," the watchdog told Reuters in a statement on Friday.
"In accordance with (rules put in place in 1996) requiring Web sites which spread, promote and discuss political issues to be registered, SBA has now asked Fateha to register their site."
Zulfikar Mohamad Shariff, head of the group which calls its seven-month-old site the "Voice of the Singapore Muslim Community", caused a furore over the weekend by his criticism of the government.
Singapore revealed earlier this month it had arrested 15 men in December for plotting to blow up a shuttle bus ferrying U.S. military personnel and bomb U.S. naval vessels.
Two have since been released and 13 are being held for two years under laws allowing detention without trial. The government says the detained men belonged to Jemaah Islamiah, a clandestine organisation with ties to groups in Malaysia and Indonesia.
Zulfikar's rare public critique was blasted by officials as an attempt to undermine race relations in the small, multi-ethnic nation of four million people.
"Whilst the registration process is under way, it is premature to speak about what action would be taken if Fateha fails to register," the SBA said.
Zulfikar could not be reached for comment on Friday as he was recently called up for several weeks of national military service and has been barred from speaking to the media till he completes his reservist duty.
SBA's Internet Code of Practice prohibits material which is "objectionable on the grounds of public interest, public morality, public order, public security, national harmony, or is otherwise prohibited by applicable Singapore laws".
Failure to comply with the code can result in fines and other unspecified sanctions.
The People's Action Party -- which has kept a hammerlock on power since independence in 1965 -- put in place more Internet rules ahead of last November's general election, saying limits were necessary as disinformation could be spread quickly online.
Critics say the rules are another
way for the government to keep dissent and opposition parties in check.