Tan said at a news conference that Singapore's support was a matter of principle and a way to enhance the affluent city-state's own security.

"We will continue to support the anti-terrorism effort within our capabilities to make a useful contribution," he said at the conference after awarding the commander in chief of the US Pacific Command, Admiral Dennis Blair, the Meritorious Service Medal.

"Terrorism is a crime. No one can justify using indiscriminate violence against innocent civilians and terrorising entire communities and countries," he said.

Tan said Singapore viewed the September 11 airborne attacks that killed more than 3000 people in New York and Washington as a strike not only on the US but also on "open societies" worldwide.

"We cannot let terrorism prevail. Singapore will do our part in the fight against terrorism," he said.

Singapore authorities last month detained 13 suspected terrorists who had allegedly plotted to carry out bomb attacks on American targets in Singapore, including US sailors and the US embassy.

The suspects belonged to a group called Jemaah Islamiyah, which authorities said has cells in Southeast Asia and is linked to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda outfit. Bin Laden is a key suspect in the September 11 attacks on the US.

A local group Fateha has said that Singapore's alliance with the US was the main reason for the setting up of a suspected terrorist cell in the country -- an allegation rejected by the government.

Tan said today's terrorist threat was "borderless" and "no country on its own can effectively counter terrorism."

"So Singapore has to be part of the global effort and international cooperation to combat this new terrorism," Tan said.

While Singapore has always taken security seriously, the government "added substantive resources to our efforts" after September 11.

He said the island-republic, which has allotted huge resources to prepare for a possible external attack, now has to "think more in terms of security rather than defence."

"The line between external defence and internal security is becoming more gray and more blurred in all countries," Tan said, adding that a national security secretariat has been set up to coordinate the efforts of the country's security agencies.

Asked about the whereabouts of a Singaporean who was reported to be among those arrested by US forces in Afghanistan, Tan said authorities were still trying to get information about this.

He also said that Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had assured him that Jakarta "is very much alive to the threat of terrorism and will take the necessary steps to counter terrorism."

Following a crackdown on suspected terrorists by Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines, largely Muslim Indonesia has been criticised in the media for not taking strong actions against militants.

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