Headlines
Singapore's former PM Lee Kuan Yew passes away
Singapore, March 23
Lee Kuan Yew, former prime
minister of Singapore, died at 3:18 a.m. on Monday at the age of 91,
the prime minister's office (PMO) said.
Lee passed away "peacefully", Xinhua quoted the PMO as saying in a statement.
The
former prime minister had been in hospital for severe pneumonia since
February 5. The PMO said his condition was "slightly improved" on
February 28, but worsened due to an infection on March 17. His condition
had hence remained "critically ill" until PMO issued a statement at
noon on Saturday, saying that his condition had again "worsened".
His
ill health had prevented him from attending public and constituency
events in recent months. His latest appearances were at the People's
Action Party's 60th anniversary celebrations in November last year and
his constituency's Tree Planting Day earlier the same month.
As a
MP for Tanjong Pagar GRC (Group Representation Constituency), he also
attended Tanjong Pagar GRC's National Day dinner in August 2014.
Lee,
also known as Singapore's founding father, was born in September 1923.
He served as the prime minister of Singapore from 1959 to 1990, and
later served as a senior minister and minister mentor after stepping
down from the first chair.