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Toh Han Shih

Thousands of people queued patiently in Singapore yesterday to pay their last respects to founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, waiting for up to eight hours to bow before his coffin.
At 9am, a hushed silence fell on the streets at the tail-end of the usually bustling shopping district of Orchard Road as Lee's casket was taken by gun carriage from the Istana, the state residence, to Parliament House. Lee died on Monday at 91, succumbing to severe pneumonia.
Watch: Singaporeans pay respects to Lee Kuan Yew


When his casket, covered in the red-and-white Singapore flag, arrived at Parliament House, people waiting outside on the footpaths chanted: "Thank you, Mr Lee."
Lee's body will lie in state until Saturday. Visiting hours were scheduled to be from 10am to 8pm, but were extended to 24 hours a day as long lines formed.

Family and friends had earlier held at two-day private wake at the Istana. Yesterday was for all Singaporeans. And people of different walks of life - the embodiment of the pledge of "one united people, regardless of race" that Lee had urged his citizens to believe in when Singapore became independent in 1965 - showed up. A Buddhist monk in a saffron robe was spotted in the queue, as was a group of Catholic nuns, clutches of schoolchildren in uniform, and office workers, many in black or white, the traditional colours of mourning in the city-state.

Catholic nun Sister Geraldine Lim queued to pay her respects with her colleagues twice, once in the morning and again in the afternoon. "He's a fantastic remarkable father to us. We'd been praying for him since he was sick," she said.
Another nun with her, who did not want to give her name, said she had followed the cortege on foot for more than 1km when it moved from the Istana to Parliament House.
Some were teary-eyed as they inched closer to the coffin.

Office worker Sherman Soh, who had been there for more than three hours, said: "This wait is only for a few hours, but Lee Kuan Yew spent decades [working] for his country."
At about 6pm, an elderly man in a wheelchair in a special line set up for the elderly and disabled, got a glimpse of the coffin, replete with flowers and orchids. "I respect him like a father," he explained.
Some people gave up. "I'll come back tomorrow," said one man. Along the way, a cafe nearby set up a makeshift stand to offer cups of water to mourners. Others gave out water bottles.
 
Non-Singaporeans spotted in the queue included office worker Ramesh. The Indian citizen, who has lived in Singapore for 15 years, said: "Today, I got the opportunity to thank him for his hard work. Singapore is a clean country, with not much corruption and crime.
"They treat all people equally here. There is no racism in the office. That's why I came here."

Yesterday, Lee's son and current Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was at Parliament House at the start of the public mourning and appeared later to greet visitors.
Today, Parliament will hold a special sitting to pay tribute to the elder Lee, who was prime minister from 1959 to 1990. He retired from the cabinet in 2011. A state funeral will be held on Sunday.


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Eight-hour queues on streets of Singapore as thousands wait to bow before Lee Kuan Yew's coffin

A military gun carriage carrying the coffin of Singapore's founding father Lee Kuan Yew travels towards Parliament House yesterday. Photo: Xinhua

Mourners line the street to pay tribute to Lee Kuan Yew as his body passes by on a gun carriage en route to Parliament House. Photo: Bloomberg

Officers lifting the coffin of late Lee Kuan Yew prior to his procession to Parliament House, at Istana Palace. Photo: EPA

Members of the public queue to pay their last respects to Singapore's late former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew at Parliament House. Photo: AFP

Many Singaporeans braved the heat and the long wait to pay respects to the late leader. Photo: Reuters

Long queues of people waiting to pay their respects to the late first prime minister Lee Kuan Yew in parliament crowd a bridge in Singapore. Photo: Reuters

A line snakes across a waterfront near parliament, where Lee Kuan Yew's body lies in state. Photo: Bloomberg

The coffin of the late Lee Kuan Yew leaves the Istana  on a ceremonial gun carriage to lie in state at the Parliament House in Singapore. Photo: AP

People pay their last respects to Lee Kuan Yew in Singapore's Parliament House. Photo: Xinhua

The presidential standard of Singapore is lowered to half-mast as mark of respect for late Lee Kuan Yew, on top of the Istana Palace. Photo: EPA

Singapore's President Tony Tan signs a condolence book while his wife Mary Chee watches beside him as they pay their respects to the late Lee Kuan Yew at the Parliament House. Photo: AP

Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his wife Ho Ching pay their respects to his father, the first prime minister of Singapore Lee Kuan Yew, at the Istana. Photo: Reuters

A Singapore love story: how wife's death left a tragic void in Lee Kuan Yew's life

Lee and wife Kwa Geok Choo celebrating his 80th birthday. Photo: EPA

Lee and wife Kwa Geok Choo celebrating his 80th birthday.

Lee Kuan Yew (left) and his wife join Americans living in the city state at a candlelight ceremony in Singapore on September 23, 2001, for victims of the September 11 attacks in the United States. Photo: Reuters

Lee Kuan Yew (left) shares a light moment with his wife, Kwa Geok Choo, right, during the Labour Day Rally in Singapore. Photo: AP

Lee Kuan Yew (left) and his wife, Kwa Geok Choo (centre), attends a dinner at the Foreign Correspondents' Club. Photo: Benson Lo

Lee Kuan Yew (In black tie) along with his son, Lee Hsien Loong (behind) and family members walk behind the hearse of Kwa Geok Choo during a funeral ceremony in Singapore. Photo: AFP

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Procession carries former premier's casket to Parliament House, where Singaporeans from all walks of life queue for hours to say goodbye


Thousands of people queued patiently in Singapore yesterday to pay their last respects to founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, waiting for up to eight hours to bow before his coffin.


Eight-hour queues on streets of Singapore as thousands wait to bow before Lee Kuan Yew's coffin

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Procession carries former premier's casket to Parliament House, where Singaporeans from all walks of life queue for hours to say goodbye

Procession carries former premier's casket to Parliament House, where Singaporeans from all walks of life queue for hours to say goodbye