SINGAPORE - Three Chinese youths, aged between 17 and 18, have been arrested for posting racist remarks on Facebook, a popular social networking website.

Following a report lodged on Jan 30, the police conducted an investigation and managed to establish the identity of the suspects. All three suspects were arrested on Jan 31 and have since been released on bail. Investigations into the case are on-going.

While details of the trio's postings are not known, there has been a buzz in cyberspace in recent days over a Facebook group which has posted derogatory remarks about dark-skinned people. Several netizens have called for the group to be reported for sedition.

On Sunday, Facebooker Prab Nathan posted on the group's wall: "All that can be done to report this group and its seditious posters, has been done. I've saved the emails to and from the police, and they have confirmed the lodged report ."

Under the Sedition Act, anyone found guilty of promoting feelings of ill-will and hostility between different races can be fined up to $5,000 and/or jailed up to three years if he is a first-time offender.

In recent years, several bloggers have run afoul of the law with their postings.

In 2005, a 27-year-old man became the first since 1966 to be jailed under the Act for posting inflammatory and vicious remarks about Muslims and Malays on the Internet. He was jailed a month. In a connected case, a 25-year-old was given a day's jail and fined $5,000. Later that year, a 17-year-old blogger was given probation.

The following year, a 21-year-old accounts assistant was given a stern warning for putting up an offensive cartoon of Jesus Christ on his blog.

The Commander of Bedok Police Division, Deputy Assistant Commissioner of Police Teo Chun Ching, said yesterday: "Police take a very stern view of acts that could threaten the social harmony in Singapore. The Internet may be a convenient medium to express one's views but members of the public should bear in mind that they are no less accountable for their actions online."