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Sunday, March 22, 2015

Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's founding father and first prime minister Dies Aged 91 Monday March 23,2015

 Lee Kuan Yew (1923-2015)
Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's first prime minister and architect of the tiny Southeast Asian city-state's rapid rise from British tropical outpost to global trade and financial centre, died on Monday, aged 91, the government announced


The Prime Minister's Office said in a statement posted on its website that Lee 'passed away peacefully' at the hospital at 3.18am Monday local time.

Lee Kuan Yew, who died in hospital on Monday aged 91, led the city-state to independence and served as its prime minister for 31 years.
Singapore is observing a week of mourning ahead of Sunday's funeral.


Lee Kuan Yew co-founded the People's Action Party (PAP), which has ruled Singapore since 1959 and led the newly born country when it was separated from Malaysia in 1965
Lee Kuan Yew (1923-2015)

Lee Kuan Yew stepped down as prime minister in 1990, handing power to Goh Chok Tong, but remained influential as senior minister in Goh's cabinet and subsequently as "minister mentor" when his eldest son Lee Hsien Loong became prime minister in 2004

Lee Kuan Yew left the cabinet in 2011 and had cut down his public appearances in recent months due to his age and declining health. 

US President Barack Obama hailed Lee Kuan Yew as a “visionary” who led his country from Singapore’s independence in 1965 to build one of the most prosperous countries in the world 
A file photo of Singapore's then-Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, left, who met with U.S. President Barack Obama in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. 

China on Monday  March 23,2015 condoled the death of former Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, describing him as an Asian statesman of unique influence.

Lee Kuan Yew with Nelson Mandela in 2013
Mr Lee, who was widely admired across the political spectrum, meets with Nelson Mandela in 2013



Chinese President Xi Jinping praised Lee Kuan Yew as an “old friend of the Chinese people”.

Chinese President Xi Jinping said Lee Kuan Yew, who was ethnically Chinese, was “widely respected by the international community as a strategist and a statesman” and expressed “sincere condolences” to his relatives.


Well-wishers lay flowers and cards outside Singapore General Hospital after he became critically ill
Well-wishers lay flowers and cards outside Singapore General Hospital after he became critically ill
Tributes for Lee Kuan Yew at Singapore General Hospital. 23 March 2015
Messages and flowers left at the Tanjong Pagar community centre, Singapore. 23 March 2015
Flowers, messages and other tributes are piling up outside the hospital where Lee Kuan Yew died

Lee Kuan Yew was admitted to Singapore General Hospital last month on Feb 05,2015 for severe pneumonia and later put on life support

Crowds greeted the hearse as it arrived at the Istana compound
Crowds greet hearse as it arrives at the Istana, Singapore. 23 March 2015 

 Lee Kuan Yew lies in state in parliament
Thousands pay final respects as Lee Kuan Yew lies in state











Thousands of people in Singapore are queuing to pay tribute to late statesman Lee Kuan Yew as he lies in state in parliament.

His body was moved by gun carriage on March 25,2015 Wednesday morning from his official residence and through the city
Lee Kuan Yew's body has been resting at the Istana - the compound which houses the president's official residence and the prime minister's office - for a private family mourning period. Thousands have already left flowers and message at its gates and signed books of condolence. 

Lee Kuan Yew's flag-draped coffin, accompanied by representatives of the military and government, was then carried from the Istana through the main shopping and business districts, before arriving at Parliament House
Huge queues have formed in the area around Parliament House  
People queue in Singapore (25 March 2015) 



Key dates in the life of Lee Kuan Yew
  • Sept. 16, 1923: Born into wealthy Chinese family in Singapore
  • 1936-1942: Education at prestigious Raffles Institution and Raffles College
  • Feb. 15, 1942: Japanese occupation begins in Singapore
  • Feb. 18-22, 1942: Japanese troops massacre between 50,000 and 100,000 Chinese Singaporeans. Lee observes the occupying army’s brutality up close.
  • 1943-1944: Lee works as English-language editor for Japanese propaganda department called the Hobudu
  • 1946: Student at London School of Economics
  • 1947-1949: Law student at Cambridge University
  • Dec. 23, 1947: Secretly marries Kwa Geok Choo, who was also studying law at Cambridge
  • 1950: Lee passes bar exams in Britain, returns to Singapore and starts practicing law, with trade unions among his clients
  • November 1954: Co-founds the People’s Action Party (PAP)
  • April 1955: Elected to Legislative Assembly for the first time as an opposition MP
  • 1959: PAP wins 43 out of 51 seats in legislative assembly; Singapore is granted limited self-rule by colonial ruler Britain; Lee is sworn in as prime minister at age 35
  • Sept. 16, 1963: Malaysia and Singapore merge under the Malaysian Federation
  • Aug. 9, 1965: Singapore is evicted from the Malaysian Federation after political storms and race riots highlighted the fragility of the union, and becomes an independent republic. Lee cries on national television when announcing the split
  • Aug. 8, 1967: Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is established with Singapore among the founding states
  • 1968-1972: Lee convinces trade unions to adopt nonconfrontational stance toward employers to avoid labor strikes, enacts policies to attract international financial institutions, and embarks on a vigorous family planning campaign urging couples to stop at two children; the campaign also promoted sterilization
  • 1971: Last British military forces withdraw
  • 1975: Lee approves construction of Changi Airport as air traffic in the city-state surges; it evolves into one of the world’s major aviation hubs
  • Nov. 28, 1990: Lee steps down as prime minister, hands over power to his deputy, Goh Chok Tong
  • 1990-2004: Plays an advisory position in the Cabinet as “senior minister”
  • August 2004: His eldest son, Lee Hsien Loong, becomes prime minister; elder Lee continues to advise the Cabinet as “minister mentor”
  • Oct. 2, 2010: Lee’s wife, Kwa Geok Choo, dies following long illness
  • May 2011: General elections are held; ruling PAP retains power but suffers its worst-ever share in the popular vote. Lee subsequently steps down from his Cabinet advisory role but remains an elected MP
  • February 2013: Undergoes treatment after suffering from a prolonged irregular heartbeat due to a stroke-like condition
  • Feb. 5, 2015: Lee is hospitalised for severe pneumonia, goes into intensive care on life support
  • March 23, 2015: Lee dies at age 91

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