STOCKHOLM, June 18 (Xinhua) -- The Swedish Parliament passed Wednesday evening a controversial bill allowing the government to monitor all SMS, e-mail and other data traffic crossing Swedish borders with 143 in favor, 138 opposed and one parliamentarian abstaining.

    Faced with powerful criticism from the opposition, international experts, and from within its own ranks, the government sent the bill back to a parliamentary committee for further preparation to protect personal integrity Wednesday morning.

    After the committee required that the centre-right government safeguard individual rights further in an annex to the law to be voted on in the autumn, the bill was narrowly passed by the Swedish lawmakers Wednesday evening.

    The new law, set to take effect on January 1st, 2009, will enable the Swedish National Defense Radio Establishment (FRA) to tap all cross-border Internet and telephone communication.