Authorities have accused the editors of Sintercom.org, which receives up to 300,000 hits a month, of overreacting to an order to register as a political website and comply with a restrictive code of practice.

Sintercom has obeyed the directive to register with the Singapore Broadcasting Authority (SBA) but the editors say they will refuse to censor material.

They said they would instead send all content to the SBA to be vetted, and could not rule out the possibility of censored work appearing in full on an overseas-based site.

But in a seven-point statement issued later July 20, the SBA said it would not pre-censor content on political websites.

"The objective of registering political websites is to ensure that those who run sites engaging in discussion of domestic politics are accountable and take responsibility for the contest of their sites," the statement said.

"There is no cause for Sintercom to overreact over such a simple request."

In its order for Sintercom to be registered, the SBA said the website "engages in the propagation, promotion and discussion of political issues relating to Singapore."

Internet service providers and Internet content providers licensed under the SBA face sanctions, including fines, if they contravene the SBA's code of practice.

The clamp on Sinternet comes a month after the government announced it would regulate Internet use by political parties ahead of the next general elections, due by August 2002.

Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said limits were necessary because of the potential to use the Internet to spread false information.

Sintercom editor Tan Chong Kee said that by registering with the SBA the website became bound by clauses prohibiting material which was "against the public interest, public order or national harmony; or offends against good taste or decency."

The requirements were "so vague that almost anything in Sintercom could conceivably be construed as such. I do not want to be in a situation where I could be hauled into court any time, depending on how someone in power has decided to interpret content in Sintercom," he said.

Tan said censorship was not an option for Sintercom "since it goes against our belief that it is possible for Singaporeans living in Singapore to speak their minds frankly."