Goh's press secretary released a statement clarifying the prime minister's comments about Singapore's capital punishment laws made on BBC's HARDtalk program, in which he said "about 70 to 80 people" had been executed in the first nine months of this year.

"In 2003, as of today, the death penalty was carried out on 10 occasions," the press secretary said.

"When the prime minister used the figure '70-80', he had said that he did not know the precise number and that the figure needed to be checked and corrected."

Goh said on the BBC program: "I think probably it will be in the region of about 70 to 80. I do not know the precise number, I stand to be corrected."

When asked why he did not know exactly how many people had been executed this year, Goh replied: "I have got more important issues to worry about.

"Each execution comes to the Cabinet and we look at it. If we decide that a certain person has got to be executed, he is executed. I don't keep count."

The death penalty is rarely discussed by the Singapore government or in the local media, with executions very rarely publicised.

Amnesty said in its annual report for 2003 that the city-state had one of the highest execution rates in the world, relative to its population of about 4.2 million people.

Government figures show 28 people were executed in 2002, 27 in 2001 and 21 in 2000.

Singapore carries out the death penalty by hanging.

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