The government, which sees the affluent city-state as a prime target for terrorists, said it also plans to regulate the sale of pre-paid mobile phone cards, introduce police patrols in subway stations and tighten scrutiny of air cargo.

Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng announced the new measures in parliament, stressing that "the terrorist threat to Singapore has not been completely eradicated" despite the crippling of terrorist cells within the country.

In a wide-ranging debate on the ministry's budget, Wong said the threat comes mainly from "terrorist elements" abroad, including the regional Jemaah Islamiyah network -- which authorities say has some links to Al-Qaeda -- and its allied groups.

He said the police continued to detain 36 suspected militants, while another 17 are under restriction orders for terrorism-related activities.

By October, Wong said Singapore will introduce biometric passports to citizens, ensuring Singaporeans will continue to be allowed visa-free entry into the United States.

The US government has issued a directive that the citizens of 27 nations, including Singapore, would lose their visa-free status unless they had the biometric passports by October 26.

Wong said the new passport will contain the holder's unique facial and fingerprint information and a unique "inventory control number" that will serve as the passport number.

The biometric passport's validity will also be reduced to five years from the current 10 years to allow the government to input new technological features.

The government is also planning to regulate the sale of pre-paid mobile phone cards following evidence terrorists have used them to help carry out attacks, Wong said.

In terrorist incidents abroad, militants had exploited the anonymity offered by pre-paid cards to carry out their deadly missions, he said.

To further strengthen port security, Singapore will participate in a US pilot program to install a "radiation detection" portal in container terminals aimed at detecting smuggled radioactive materials.

The radioactive material detector is in addition to the full compliance with stringent measures required by the UN maritime agency, the International Maritime Organisation.

At Changi Airport, Wong said the government was exploring the introduction of a new method to license cargo agents, which would make them more accountable.

And by the second half of the year, a new police unit will start patrolling train stations to beef up unarmed guards deployed by the subway operator.

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