Asia-Pacific News

In pictures: Singapore bids farewell to Lee Kuan Yew

Mohd Fyrol | AFP | Getty Images

Tens of thousands of Singaporeans braved torrential rain and lined the streets on Sunday to bid a final farewell to the nation's founding father and first Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew.

Lee's casket, draped in Singapore's national flag, was transported on gun carriage from the Parliament House to the National University of Singapore (NUS) for a state funeral service. The 15.4 kilometer-route covered several landmarks of significance in his half-century long political career.

Several world leaders, including former U.S. President Bill Clinton, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minsiter Shinzo Abe, gathered in the city state to attend the funeral.

Singapore declared a national period of mourning from March 23 to March 29 to mark the passing of the revered leader, who is credited with transforming the country from a mudflat into a thriving, global metropolis within a single generation.

Lee, a predominant figure in post-colonial Asia, passed away peacefully early on March 23 at the age of 91.

Click ahead to view scenes from the state funeral and Singapore's heavy-hearted farewell.

A hero's farewell

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Military personnel salute as a gun carriage bearing Lee's coffin leaves Parliament House for the funeral service.

Mourning the loss of a father

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Teary-eyed Singaporeans wave the national flag and shout "Lee Kuan Yew" as his motorcade passes by.

Father and son

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Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, son of Lee Kuan Yew, prepares to place a portrait of his father next to the casket as the funeral service begins.

An emotional moment

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Prime Minister Lee delivered the first of ten eulogies, where he honored the elder Lee's lifelong dedication to Singapore and its people.

World leaders pay their respects

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Former U.S. president Bill Clinton, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe observe a moment of silence during the state funeral. Leaders from more than 23 countries attended the service.

During his visit, Modi described Lee as a source of inspiration: "his achievements and thoughts give me confidence in the possibility of India's own transformation."

A personal friendship

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Former U.S. secretary of state Henry Kissinger, a close friend of Lee's, was also part of the U.S. delegation attending the funeral.

Speaking to reporters, an emotional Kissinger said, "He meant a lot to me. It was not a friendship of doing things for each other, it was of learning from each other."

Kissinger and Lee first met in 1967 when Singapore's founding Prime Minister was on sabbatical at Harvard University.

Paying homage

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Flowers and tributes were placed outside Parliament House where Lee's body lay in state for four days.

A show of solidarity

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During the week of mourning, members of the public lined up for hours to pay their respects at the lying in state at Parliament House. Queues stretched up to 10 hours, with many Singapore citizens and residents camping overnight to say their final farewell.

Grieving nation

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Medical staff mourn outside the Singapore General Hospital, where Lee had been hospitalized for severe pneumonia weeks before his death.

Remembering LKY

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Visuals to honor the nation's founding father are seen at a train station on the day of his funeral.