Mr Lee Hsien Yang will not be coming back to Singapore for the funeral of his sister Lee Wei Ling, who passed away on Wednesday (9 Oct).
He confirmed this to Channel NewsAsia (CNA) in response to queries.
Source: Lee Hsien Yang on Facebook
Earlier, Mr Lee had shared details of Dr Lee’s wake on Facebook, revealing that it would be held at Singapore Casket, at the Pearl and Sapphire Hall.
While the wake would be from Thursday to Saturday (10 to 12 Oct), visiting hours vary according to the day.
It will be from 2pm to 10pm on Thursday, 10am to 10pm on Friday, and 10am to 1pm on Saturday.
Mr Lee is “organising the funeral remotely”, he told CNA, with the help of his second son Huanwu.
This is in accordance with his sister’s wishes, he said.
In his latest Facebook post on Wednesday (9 Oct) night, Mr Lee asked the media not to come to his sister’s wake or her private funeral.
This is because she “wanted a simple private send off”, he said. “We ask that the media respect her wishes.”
As for the public, they can pay their respects “on a strict queue basis”, he said, adding:
There will be no exceptions, not even for VIPs.
That’s because Dr Lee believed in treating people equally, he explained.
Mr Lee also shared a statement from Dr Lee regarding 38 Oxley Road, the Lee family home that she lived in till her death.
The statement, which he said she directed him to convey, read:
My father’s, LEE KUAN YEW, and my mother’s, KWA GEOK CHOO, unwavering and deeply felt wish was for their house at 38 Oxley Road, Singapore 238629 to be demolished upon the last parent’s death. LEE KUAN YEW had directed each of his 3 children to ensure that their parents’ wish for demolition be fulfilled. He had also appealed directly to the people of Singapore. Please honour my father by honouring his wish for his home to be demolished.
Dr Lee and Mr Lee are the younger siblings of former Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. All three are the children of Singapore’s founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew.
On Wednesday (9 Oct), shortly after her passing, the eldest Lee sibling shared a tribute to his sister on Facebook, saying she’s a fighter and he would “deeply miss her”.
Mr Lee Hsien Yang and his wife Suet Fern are overseas, having left Singapore sometime in 2022.
They had been under investigation for the suspected offence of giving false evidence in judicial proceedings.
However, they did not turn up for a scheduled police interview in July 2022 and emailed stating they would not be taking part in the investigation.
The couple have not returned to Singapore since then, not even for the funeral of Mrs Lee’s father.
Bloomberg has reported that they are now based in Europe, quoting him as saying that he couldn’t be sure “what the chances are that I will return to Singapore in the foreseeable future”.
Mr Lee’s eldest son Shengwu, a tenured professor at Harvard University, was fined S$15,000 for contempt of court over a Facebook post he made in 2017.
He refused to take part in the court process, nor did he turn up for the hearing or verdict.
Also read: 5 things to know about Lee Wei Ling, the bold neurologist who spoke her mind
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Featured image adapted from Lee Hsien Yang on Facebook and Lee Wei Ling on Facebook.
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