Two Singapore bloggers charged for racist remarks

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Two men were charged in a Singapore court on Monday with violating the city-state's sedition laws by posting anti-Muslim comments on their internet homepages, police said.

The two ethnic Chinese men, aged 25 and 27, face charges for promoting ill-will and hostility between ethnic communities on their personal websites, or "blogs", in June.

The police said both men were accused of posting racist remarks aimed at Singapore's mostly-Muslim ethnic Malay community. If convicted, they may be jailed for up to three years or fined up to S$5000 (US$2987), or both.

Singapore has one of the highest internet penetration rates in the world, but also some of the toughest media laws.

Singapore police have wide powers to intercept online messages, and internet service providers are required to block websites containing material that may be a threat to public security, national defence, racial and religious harmony and public morality.

Political and religious websites must also be registered with the authorities.

The government has defended these controls as necessary to maintain ethnic harmony among its 4.2 million people.

About three-quarters of Singapore's population is ethnic Chinese. Ethnic Malays account for 14 percent and ethnic Indians for another eight percent.