SINGAPORE, July 11 (UPI) -- The Singapore government has launched a  
plan to police the Internet for unacceptable political and religious 
discussions, officials in the tightly-controlled island city-state said 
Thursday. 
	The program, which takes effect Monday, calls for any groups or  
individuals who post pages on the World Wide Web with political or 
religious content to register with the Singapore Broadcasting Authority. 
	A team of government monitors is already scanning the Internet daily  
for any sites dealing with these topics, an SBA spokesman told United 
Press International. 
	``We have a dedicated unit which is monitoring the 'Net for web pages  
carrying political or religious discussions,'' SBA management executive 
Ahmad Shuhaimi said. ``Currently there are about 10 people doing it -- 
they are required to search the Internet for two or three hours daily.'' 
	``If we find any unregistered groups discussing these issues they  
will be monitored and informed that they need to register,'' he 
explained, adding the watchdogs had checked the Internet for several 
months in preparation for the new regulations. 
	The new regulatory plan, called the Class Licensing Scheme, also  
requires Internet service providers and ``content providers'' -- those 
who regularly post material -- to turn over to authorities any relevant 
information on persons or groups who violate the rules. The Class 
Licensing Scheme ``will focus on content which may undermine public 
morals, political stability and religious harmony of Singapore,'' the 
Singapore Broadcasting Authority said in a written statement released 
Thursday. 
	Singapore is a tiny and prosperous Asian republic whose population of  
3 million consists of ethnic Chinese, Malays, Indians and other groups. 
Major religions include Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism. 
	The nation overcame severe ethnic strife in the 1960s, and prides  
itself on its current state of remarkable racial and religious harmony. 
The government insists its well known censorship laws are necessary to 
maintain stability. 
	Singapore authorities have admitted there are technical difficulties  
inherent in controlling the Internet -- a complex web involving millions 
of computer users around the world -- but said they would work to find 
more effective ways to police the network. 
	``SBA recognizes that it is impossible to regulate the Internet  
fully,'' Thursday's statement said. ``As technology evolves, so will our 
regulatory framework.''