https://www.scmp.com/rss/167356/feed Lee Kuan Yew is considered the founding father of modern Singapore. Born Harry Lee Kuan Yew in September 1923, he governed Singapore over three decades and oversaw its separation from Malaysia, transforming it from a relatively underdeveloped British colonial outpost with no natural resources into a "First World" Asian Tiger. His People's Action Party won eight back-to-back electoral victories until he stepped aside in 1990. Lee stepped down from government in 2011. Lee died on March 23, 2015. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Jean Iau Jean Iau A defamation lawsuit filed by Singapore cabinet ministers K Shanmugam and Tan See Leng against financial news outlet Bloomberg on Tuesday opened with heated exchanges over an article that mentioned their personal property transactions. According to statements of claim filed in the High Court, Shanmugam, who is coordinating minister for national security, and Tan, who is manpower minister, said parts of the article, titled “Singapore mansion deals are increasingly shrouded in secrecy”, were... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3349204/singapore-ministers-defamation-suit-against-bloomberg-property-article-starts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3349204/singapore-ministers-defamation-suit-against-bloomberg-property-article-starts?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Apr 2026 02:07:27 +0000 SCMP’s Asia desk SCMP’s Asia desk Singapore’s Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam has said he wished the United States had kept controversial blogger and child sex convict Amos Yee, warning that foreign media and rights advocates have mistaken a repeat offender, who was deported back to the city state, for a free-speech icon. Yee, who is listed on a US Department of Homeland Security website as among the “worst of the worst criminal aliens” the Immigration and Customs Enforcement has arrested, was deported from the US on March 19... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3349183/singapores-shanmugam-deported-blogger-amos-yee-i-wish-americans-had-kept-him?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3349183/singapores-shanmugam-deported-blogger-amos-yee-i-wish-americans-had-kept-him?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Apr 2026 12:20:26 +0000 Letters Letters Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words One of the lesser-known instruments used by Singapore’s founding prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew, in identifying political candidates and future ministers was psychological screening. The premise was simple but profound: political leadership carries consequences too large to be... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3346480/what-lee-kuan-yew-knew-leaders-psychological-fitness-matters?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3346480/what-lee-kuan-yew-knew-leaders-psychological-fitness-matters?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Mar 2026 03:30:08 +0000 An excerpt An excerpt In a new memoir No Borders: Journeys Across Islands And Continents, renowned historian Wang Gungwu traces his life across Malaya, London, Australia, Hong Kong and Singapore, sharing both personal anecdotes and perspectives on the changes in China and the modern world. In the excerpt below, Wang reflects on his impressions of Singapore after arriving from Hong Kong with his wife Margaret in the 1990s, the differences between the two cities, and his work on contemporary China with Singapore’s... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3341918/tale-two-cities-singapore-hong-kong-and-their-contrasting-paths?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3341918/tale-two-cities-singapore-hong-kong-and-their-contrasting-paths?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Feb 2026 06:00:14 +0000 CNA CNA The site at 38 Oxley Road was gazetted for acquisition on Thursday, the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) and the National Heritage Board (NHB) said in a media release. This follows the gazetting of the site as a national monument on December 12, 2025. The site was the home of Singapore’s founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew. It was also where events took place that shaped the country’s independence movement and national history. “The site was gazetted for acquisition today in order to safeguard... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3341629/singapore-acquire-lee-kuan-yews-38-oxley-road-home-preservation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3341629/singapore-acquire-lee-kuan-yews-38-oxley-road-home-preservation?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Jan 2026 04:21:54 +0000 Jean Iau,Kolette Lim Jean Iau,Kolette Lim Singapore saw plenty of drama unfold this year, from pickleball courts to the Supreme Court. The city state was gripped by election fever in May, when the People’s Action Party maintained its dominance at the polls. On the trade front, Washington’s imposition of a 10 per cent tariff on Singapore elicited a strong reaction from Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. The jury is still out on whether US President Donald Trump would introduce levies on pharmaceuticals and semiconductors, which could deliver... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3337732/singapore-2025-election-fever-courtroom-drama-pickleball-mania?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3337732/singapore-2025-election-fever-courtroom-drama-pickleball-mania?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 Dec 2025 03:00:09 +0000 Josephine Ma Josephine Ma George Yeo is a visiting scholar at the National University of Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. He started his career in the military before entering politics in 1988. During his 23 years with the Singaporean government, Yeo held ministerial portfolios ranging from arts to health, trade and – for seven years – foreign affairs. After he left politics, Yeo was vice-chairman of Kerry Group in Hong Kong from 2012 to 2021 and chairman and executive director of its logistics arm from... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3337074/george-yeo-superpower-headaches-and-why-us-dollar-could-crack?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3337074/george-yeo-superpower-headaches-and-why-us-dollar-could-crack?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Dec 2025 22:00:17 +0000 Wee Kek Koon Wee Kek Koon The Albatross file is a top-secret collection of papers compiled by Goh Keng Swee, one of the chief architects of modern Singapore and the right-hand man of the country’s founding prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew. In it are lesser-known details of the immediate run-up to Singapore’s dramatic separation from Malaysia on August 9, 1965. While the file’s contents have been known and studied for some years, a new book and exhibition are generating interest and raising questions about the popular... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/chinese-culture/article/3336910/how-malaysias-unusual-creation-still-affects-it-today-and-chinas-idea-doing-similar?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/chinese-culture/article/3336910/how-malaysias-unusual-creation-still-affects-it-today-and-chinas-idea-doing-similar?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Dec 2025 00:15:08 +0000 Josephine Ma Josephine Ma George Yeo was Singapore’s foreign minister for seven years, ending in 2011, after earlier holding ministerial portfolios related to technology, health and trade. Before entering politics, he served in the city state’s military. He is now a visiting scholar at the National University of Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. He was also vice-chairman of Kerry Group in Hong Kong from 2012 to 2021 and chairman and executive director of its logistics arm from 2012 to 2019. SCMP Plus... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3336863/yeo-how-trump-wants-avoid-taiwan-upending-china-relations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3336863/yeo-how-trump-wants-avoid-taiwan-upending-china-relations?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Dec 2025 04:28:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Singapore’s government on Friday gazetted as a national monument the former home of founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, a site long at the centre of a bitter family dispute among his children. The action marks a pivotal moment in the saga that has gripped the city state since Lee’s death in 2015, when his children publicly clashed over whether the bungalow at 38 Oxley Road should be preserved or torn down. Lee’s oldest son, and former prime minister, Lee Hsien Loong, favoured preserving the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3336284/lee-kuan-yews-38-oxley-road-home-officially-declared-singapore-national-monument?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3336284/lee-kuan-yews-38-oxley-road-home-officially-declared-singapore-national-monument?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Dec 2025 13:37:04 +0000 Jean Iau Jean Iau In the tumultuous days before Singapore’s separation from Malaysia in 1965, founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew clung to the hope that the city could still be part of the federal government under a looser arrangement, but his deputy had no desire to pursue this ideal. While Lee was conflicted and even wavered at the eleventh hour when he asked then Malaysian prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman if he was certain there was no alternative, Goh Keng Swee, widely regarded as the architect of modern... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3335504/how-singapores-lee-kuan-yew-was-torn-over-malaysia-separation-while-his-deputy-pushed-it?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3335504/how-singapores-lee-kuan-yew-was-torn-over-malaysia-separation-while-his-deputy-pushed-it?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Dec 2025 09:16:18 +0000 Jean Iau Jean Iau In Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, a sailor who shoots an albatross is forced to hang it around his neck as penance, with the bird becoming a heavy burden and a reminder of his guilt. This metaphor was invoked by Goh Keng Swee, widely regarded as the “economic architect” of modern Singapore, as his code name for Malaysia in his file of personal notes on Singapore’s separation from its northern neighbour in August 1965. Almost all of the newly declassified... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3335477/singapore-launches-book-malaysia-separation-declassified-files-lee-kuan-yew-quotes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3335477/singapore-launches-book-malaysia-separation-declassified-files-lee-kuan-yew-quotes?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Dec 2025 05:01:08 +0000 Kolette Lim Kolette Lim Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s sweeping effort to modernise Saudi Arabia’s economy draws direct inspiration from the Singapore model pioneered by Lee Kuan Yew, a senior Saudi political adviser has said. Mohammed Khalid Alyahya, an adviser to Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, described the late Singaporean leader’s pragmatic and results-driven governance as a template for Riyadh’s ambitions. “We have studied [Singapore] for 50 years – the way the country has invested in... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3334946/saudi-adviser-lauds-parallels-singapore-lee-kuan-yew-modernisation-efforts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3334946/saudi-adviser-lauds-parallels-singapore-lee-kuan-yew-modernisation-efforts?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Dec 2025 13:16:26 +0000 Jean Iau Jean Iau The Singapore government is not seeking to memorialise founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew and family by preserving his former home and instead is enabling future generations of citizens to understand their country’s struggle for independence, Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth David Neo has said. Detailing the reasons behind the government’s intention to preserve 38 Oxley Road as a national monument, Neo told parliament on Thursday that the space and its importance could not be... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3331753/singapore-preserve-38-oxley-road-history-not-lee-kuan-yew-memorial?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3331753/singapore-preserve-38-oxley-road-history-not-lee-kuan-yew-memorial?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Nov 2025 07:28:51 +0000 Jean Iau,Kolette Lim Jean Iau,Kolette Lim A decision on Monday by Singapore’s government to preserve as a national monument the site of the family home of founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew is an expected outcome nearly a decade in the making, according to observers. They also say it is still too early to tell if the latest resolution marked the end of a public feud between former prime minister Lee Hsien Loong and his younger brother Lee Hsien Yang, centred on whether 38 Oxley Road should be demolished. Following patriarch Lee’s... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3331378/singapores-38-oxley-road-will-latest-move-gazette-site-end-lee-family-feud?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3331378/singapores-38-oxley-road-will-latest-move-gazette-site-end-lee-family-feud?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 03 Nov 2025 13:31:44 +0000 CNA CNA The site of 38 Oxley Road was “more than just the home” of founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew – it was where Singapore’s independence movement took shape, a government advisory board said on Monday. The Preservation of Sites and Monuments Advisory Board assessed the site as having “strong national significance worthy of preservation as a national monument”, describing it as a foundational part of Singapore’s independence that is “not represented by any other site or monument”. The site... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3331298/lee-kuan-yews-home-worthy-preservation-birthplace-singapores-independence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3331298/lee-kuan-yews-home-worthy-preservation-birthplace-singapores-independence?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 03 Nov 2025 06:34:03 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji Thayil Jacob Sunny George, the founder of Asiaweek who launched the publication in 1975 to provide an English-language magazine owned by Asians that spoke for the region at a time when none existed, died at the age of 97 on Friday. Over a seven-decade career in journalism, George forged a stellar reputation as an advocate of press freedom, revered among colleagues as someone who spoke his mind and was unrelenting in questioning even top political leaders. In his last column for the New Indian... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3328002/asiaweek-founder-tjs-georges-death-leaves-behind-unmatched-legacy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3328002/asiaweek-founder-tjs-georges-death-leaves-behind-unmatched-legacy?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Oct 2025 08:38:46 +0000 Jean Iau Jean Iau Malaysia may have become more polarised amid intense race rhetoric and systemic problems, but individuals have agency to do their part and private companies have a role to play in ensuring deeper ethnic integration, Transport Minister Anthony Loke has said. Speaking to Malaysians living in Hong Kong at an event organised by the Malaysian Chamber of Commerce Hong Kong and Macau on Wednesday night, Loke noted that although their country was divided along class and education lines with social media... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3325219/malaysian-society-polarised-can-overcome-challenges-anthony-loke?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3325219/malaysian-society-polarised-can-overcome-challenges-anthony-loke?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Sep 2025 11:18:22 +0000 Jean Iau Jean Iau Few political parties in the world know dominance the way Singapore’s People’s Action Party (PAP) does, as it looks set to become the longest-running administration in modern history. Following a resounding victory in May’s general election, the city state will on Friday open its 15th parliament that will largely resemble previous party alignments. The ruling party will continue to occupy a supermajority of seats, now at 87 of the 97 elected seats while its main rival, the Workers’ Party (WP),... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3323732/will-singapores-pap-rule-forever?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3323732/will-singapores-pap-rule-forever?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 30 Aug 2025 00:00:20 +0000 Jean Iau Jean Iau Plans for a Singaporean fighter jet training presence in the US territory of Guam have been shelved, both governments have confirmed, despite years of preparation and investment in upgrading the US Air Force base on the Pacific island. Singapore and the United States had agreed to “discontinue discussions” on deploying 12 Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) F-15 fighter jets to Guam, the city state’s defence ministry announced on Tuesday. This followed an earlier statement from the US Air... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3321552/singapore-us-scrap-plans-f-15-fighter-jet-training-guam?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3321552/singapore-us-scrap-plans-f-15-fighter-jet-training-guam?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Aug 2025 07:08:13 +0000 Jean Iau Jean Iau Singapore’s parliamentary debates may lack the fireworks seen in other legislatures, but that reflects the city state’s pragmatic culture, according to opposition leader Pritam Singh. In his first-ever radio interview, the Workers’ Party (WP) chief said the tone of debate mirrored the national character – serious, results-oriented and not prone to theatrics. “When you come in from that perspective, you’re really not there to throw things around, but you want to see certain outcomes,” Singh said... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3320726/singapore-opposition-leader-pritam-singh-defends-parliament-over-tame-debates?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3320726/singapore-opposition-leader-pritam-singh-defends-parliament-over-tame-debates?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 Aug 2025 14:07:40 +0000 SCMP SCMP We have selected seven stories from the SCMP’s coverage of Asia over the past week that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Malaysia’s new ‘luxury’ taxes hit the middle class where it hurts 2. PM’s suspension reignites debate on ‘judicial activism’ of Thailand’s courts 3. Philippines’ Duterte ends womanising era, leaving ‘13 to 27’ lovers behind 4. Chinese ambassador’s ‘grandstanding’... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3317320/malaysias-luxury-tax-singapores-identity-explored-new-memoir-7-asia-highlights?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3317320/malaysias-luxury-tax-singapores-identity-explored-new-memoir-7-asia-highlights?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Jul 2025 04:26:13 +0000 SCMP SCMP We have put together stories from our coverage last weekend to help you stay informed about news across Asia and beyond. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Trump wants to ground China’s drones – but have they flown too high to reach? 2. Can India block China’s leadership in Global South-based alliances like the SCO? 3. Why Singapore refused to be a ‘Third China’ – and how Lee Kuan Yew made it clear 4. Chinese study uncovers cancer-fighting... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3317174/trumps-chinese-drone-issue-viagras-potential-against-cancer-5-weekend-reads-you-missed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3317174/trumps-chinese-drone-issue-viagras-potential-against-cancer-5-weekend-reads-you-missed?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Jul 2025 04:31:17 +0000 An excerpt An excerpt In this excerpt from Ink and Influence: An OB Markers Sequel, Cheong Yip Seng, former editor-in-chief of The Straits Times, offers rare behind-the-scenes insights into the personalities who shaped post-independence Singapore. Through stories involving figures such as S.R. Nathan, a senior civil servant who later became president, and S. Rajaratnam, the country’s first foreign minister, Cheong reveals a founding leadership team unafraid to challenge even Lee Kuan Yew – while remaining bound by a... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3317110/how-singapores-early-leaders-supported-lee-kuan-yews-vision-challenging-him?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3317110/how-singapores-early-leaders-supported-lee-kuan-yews-vision-challenging-him?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 06 Jul 2025 01:30:19 +0000 An excerpt An excerpt In his new memoir Ink and Influence: An OB Markers Sequel, Cheong Yip Seng reflects on the intersection of geopolitics, media, and identity through the lens of his long career as editor-in-chief of The Straits Times. In this excerpt, Cheong recounts a revealing moment during an official visit to China in 1976 with then-prime minister Lee Kuan Yew. Among the officials present was S.R. Nathan, later Singapore’s sixth president, who witnessed Lee subtly rebuff a Chinese attempt to influence the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3317011/why-singapores-identity-demanded-distance-china-and-its-own-story-nationhood?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3317011/why-singapores-identity-demanded-distance-china-and-its-own-story-nationhood?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 05 Jul 2025 01:30:21 +0000 Jean Iau Jean Iau Singapore’s founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew recognised early on that China demanded respect and equality in diplomacy – a posture that earned him Beijing’s enduring trust, according to veteran newspaper editor Cheong Yip Seng. In his newly released memoir Ink and Influence: An OB Markers Sequel, Cheong reflects on Lee’s deft handling of China relations, drawn from personal experience covering his landmark 1976 visit to Beijing and later working closely with him as editor-in-chief of... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3316709/how-singapores-lee-kuan-yew-treated-china-respect-he-wasnt-west?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3316709/how-singapores-lee-kuan-yew-treated-china-respect-he-wasnt-west?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Jul 2025 00:00:18 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong chose China for his first state visit outside Southeast Asia since he won the general election in May. That was a clear message as it came at a time of intense rivalry between China and the United States. All his predecessors since Lee Kuan Yew treasured the stable bilateral relations between the two countries, and Wong is saying he is no exception. One of the high-profile events he attended was the “Summer Davos” in Tianjin. Meanwhile, he has extended an... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3316480/china-singapore-relations-steadying-force-amid-global-uncertainty?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3316480/china-singapore-relations-steadying-force-amid-global-uncertainty?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 01 Jul 2025 22:45:07 +0000 Resty Woro Yuniar Resty Woro Yuniar On his first state visit to Singapore, Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto was strikingly candid: he had “copied with pride” his neighbour’s approach to housing and investment, he said – presenting the city state as a model for his own government’s ambitious development agenda. But chasing Singapore’s success risks overlooking the deeper reforms Indonesia must tackle to make such policies work at home, analysts say. The remarks came [earlier this week for online as Prabowo met President... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3315268/indonesias-prabowo-openly-admires-singapores-success-what-can-he-copy-pride?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3315268/indonesias-prabowo-openly-admires-singapores-success-what-can-he-copy-pride?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Jun 2025 10:30:07 +0000 Kishore Mahbubani Kishore Mahbubani US President Donald Trump’s tariffs – especially the ultra-high “reciprocal tariffs” that he says will be reintroduced on July 8 for any country that has not struck a trade deal with his administration – have sent countries around the world scrambling to respond, adapt and limit the fallout. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ 10 members – Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam – have been among the most proactive. Their... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3313322/how-trumps-tariffs-could-benefit-asean-long-run?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3313322/how-trumps-tariffs-could-benefit-asean-long-run?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Jun 2025 10:30:08 +0000 SCMP SCMP We have selected seven stories from the SCMP’s coverage of Asia over the past week that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Elon Musk’s alleged child with Japanese pop star sparks online storm in Japan 2. Meet India’s answer to Pakistan’s Chinese jets: the AMCA stealth fighter 3. Trump and Lee Kuan Yew similar in ‘common sense’ approach: Pete Hegseth 4. ‘I’m sad’: Blackpink fans in... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/3312816/elon-musks-alleged-japan-child-trump-and-lee-kuan-yew-similar-7-asia-highlights?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/3312816/elon-musks-alleged-japan-child-trump-and-lee-kuan-yew-similar-7-asia-highlights?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Jun 2025 04:45:09 +0000 Kimberly Lim Kimberly Lim US President Donald Trump’s instinct to “challenge old ways of doing things” that no longer work and his emphasis on “common sense” bear striking similarities to how Singapore’s founding leader Lee Kuan Yew steered the city state from vulnerability to global relevance, American defence secretary Pete Hegseth has said. In a wide-ranging address on Washington’s Indo-Pacific approach at the Shangri-La Dialogue on Saturday, Hegseth drew parallels between the “historic men”, describing both as having... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3312568/trump-and-lee-kuan-yew-similar-common-sense-approach-hegseth?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3312568/trump-and-lee-kuan-yew-similar-common-sense-approach-hegseth?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 31 May 2025 04:31:48 +0000 Kimberly Lim Kimberly Lim In 1980, a rain-soaked Lee Kuan Yew stood defiant at Singapore’s Fullerton Square in the central business district, rallying a crowd through downpour and thunder – a moment etched into Singapore’s public consciousness as a symbol of grit and persuasion. But the first lunchtime rally that Singapore’s first prime minister spoke at was in 1959, shortly after the republic became a fully self-governing state. It was held in the heart of the business district and aimed at reaching English-educated... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3307987/singapore-election-rallies-are-back-will-they-sway-voters?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3307987/singapore-election-rallies-are-back-will-they-sway-voters?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 26 Apr 2025 02:30:08 +0000 In Singapore, at every general election, the most asked question is: how many seats will fall into the opposition’s hands? This election is no different. If anything, it has become even more keenly anticipated because the opposition, especially the Workers’ Party (WP), appears to have been able to field credible candidates – including lawyers, doctors and other professionals – in greater numbers than in previous elections. An air of expectation surrounds their chances. The ruling People’s Action... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3307777/singapores-election-can-pap-stem-rising-opposition-tide?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3307777/singapores-election-can-pap-stem-rising-opposition-tide?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Apr 2025 09:16:08 +0000 As Singapore closed in on the 2006 general election, its first prime minister Lee Kuan Yew told young voters in a televised dialogue that the opposition was not up to mark and that the best candidates were in his People’s Action Party (PAP). Referring to then-Workers’ Party (WP) chief Low Thia Khiang, Lee said: “The problem is he cannot find capable people to match the PAP. That’s the nub of it all.” Weeks later at the 50th anniversary dinner of the Foreign Correspondents Association, Lee, who... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3307461/singapore-election-are-opposition-candidates-closing-talent-gap-ruling-pap?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3307461/singapore-election-are-opposition-candidates-closing-talent-gap-ruling-pap?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Apr 2025 09:48:51 +0000 Ong Beng Seng, the billionaire set to plead guilty for his role in a Singapore corruption scandal, will step down as the managing director of the property firm he founded more than four decades ago. Singapore-listed Hotel Properties Limited said Ong “wishes to devote more time to manage his medical conditions”, according to an exchange filing on Monday. He will also not put himself up for re-election as a board director at the firm’s annual general meeting on April 29. Shares of Hotel Properties... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3306402/ong-beng-seng-step-down-singapore-property-firm-amid-iswaran-scandal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3306402/ong-beng-seng-step-down-singapore-property-firm-amid-iswaran-scandal?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 14 Apr 2025 04:55:02 +0000 This article was first published on March 23, 2015 Singapore mourns as founding father Lee Kuan Yew dies at 91 by Zuraidah Ibrahim Singapore’s founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew died early on Monday morning, March 23, 2015, after more than a month in hospital, leaving a legacy of an unlikely country he steered to independence in 1965 and transformed into a global city within one generation. Lee was 91. He had been on a mechanical ventilator for several weeks since February 5, suffering from... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3303083/grief-singapore-founding-father-lee-kuan-yew-dies-2015-scmp-archive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3303083/grief-singapore-founding-father-lee-kuan-yew-dies-2015-scmp-archive?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 Mar 2025 06:15:08 +0000 Singapore leaders marked the 10th death anniversary of founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew on Sunday with tributes to his leadership and reflections on his contributions to the nation. Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said Lee and his pioneering team defied the odds to build a nation anchored in meritocracy, strengthened by economic resilience and held together by a deep commitment to harmony. “Singapore today stands as a living testament to his vision – a clean, green, and dynamic city state,... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3303503/lee-kuan-yews-10th-death-anniversary-pm-wong-says-singapore-story-still-being-written?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3303503/lee-kuan-yews-10th-death-anniversary-pm-wong-says-singapore-story-still-being-written?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 Mar 2025 06:04:04 +0000 Coastlines awash with rubbish, skylines obscured by smog and rivers, once relied on for drinking, bathing and fishing, streaked with unnatural colours and toxic sludge. This is Asia. It is the world’s fastest growing economic region – a status that has unfortunately come at a steep environmental cost. Three of the five most polluted cities in the world are in Southeast Asia, according to air-monitoring organisation IQAir. In a January report, Ho Chi Minh City was ranked second, while Phnom Penh... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3302445/singapore-was-once-polluted-too-asia-could-learn-much-its-transformation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3302445/singapore-was-once-polluted-too-asia-could-learn-much-its-transformation?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 16 Mar 2025 03:00:14 +0000 A widely shared New York Times video on “tyranny” in four countries featuring the grandson of Singapore’s founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew has drawn the ire of the city state’s government, with its envoy to the US saying Li Shengwu is “masquerading as a persecuted dissident”. The opinion video, titled How Tyranny Begins, was circulated on social media platforms and forums soon after its publication last Wednesday. Besides Li, the nephew of Singapore Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong, the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3296482/singapore-slams-li-shengwu-over-new-york-times-how-tyranny-begins-video?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3296482/singapore-slams-li-shengwu-over-new-york-times-how-tyranny-begins-video?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Jan 2025 11:36:27 +0000 Madeleine Fitzpatrick Madeleine Fitzpatrick My paternal great-grandfather came to Hong Kong around 1885, from a small town in Gujarat, India (before independence). He must have wanted a better life, so as a young man he ventured first to Aden (in present-day Yemen), which was then also a British territory – and he apparently didn’t like it. He went back to India, where he must have heard about Hong Kong. Fabric of high society With his business partners he set up a retail fabrics business here. At first they might have gone door to door... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3296110/former-time-magazine-asia-editors-journey-bombay-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3296110/former-time-magazine-asia-editors-journey-bombay-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Jan 2025 08:00:09 +0000 For retired educator K.H. Seah, voting had always been a straightforward choice in favour of Singapore’s ruling People’s Action Party (PAP). Lately, however, the 67-year-old finds himself mulling over his vote. “I’m feeling the rising costs of everything. I’m in the middle class but I don’t feel its benefits,” said Seah, adding that the goods and services tax increase to 9 per cent earlier this year, along with rising certificate of entitlement prices for car ownership, had hit people like him... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3286795/singapores-ruling-pap-turns-70-can-its-dominance-last?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3286795/singapores-ruling-pap-turns-70-can-its-dominance-last?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 16 Nov 2024 00:00:14 +0000 More than half of Singaporeans polled in a recent survey support the demolition of 38 Oxley Road, but most respondents feel the controversy surrounding the family home of the country’s first prime minister should be a private matter and not a national issue. The latest findings from a small pool of 200 respondents interviewed by market and social research agency Black Dot Research mark one of a few reference points for public views on a years-long feud between former prime minister Lee Hsien... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3285325/singapore-survey-offers-rare-gauge-public-views-38-oxley-road-demolish-or-keep?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3285325/singapore-survey-offers-rare-gauge-public-views-38-oxley-road-demolish-or-keep?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 Nov 2024 13:11:12 +0000 Singapore has become much more repressive, and corruption in the Asian financial hub has worsened in the decade since the death of former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, according to his youngest son, who fled to Britain to seek asylum from what he described as a campaign of persecution to silence him. Lee Hsien Yang, who has been granted political refugee status in the UK, said that Singaporean authorities have “weaponised” the country’s laws against critics and that he is just the most prominent... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3284632/lee-kuan-yews-son-claims-singapore-authorities-weaponised-laws-against-critics?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3284632/lee-kuan-yews-son-claims-singapore-authorities-weaponised-laws-against-critics?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 31 Oct 2024 09:21:08 +0000 Located in the heart of Singapore’s bustling shopping district, the late Lee Kuan Yew’s residence at 38 Oxley Road is at the centre of a re-emerged public feud between his sons over its demolition or preservation. The Lee children have been estranged over the property since 2017, with Lee Hsien Yang, 67, and his late sister Lee Wei Ling accusing eldest brother and former prime minister Lee Hsien Loong, 72, of abusing his power to preserve the house against their father’s wishes, to retain... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3283951/amid-38-oxley-road-debate-look-how-asia-has-preserved-some-its-leaders-homes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3283951/amid-38-oxley-road-debate-look-how-asia-has-preserved-some-its-leaders-homes?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 26 Oct 2024 02:00:17 +0000 The Singapore government on Friday night hit back at Lee Hsien Yang, the estranged brother of the country’s former prime minister and younger son of the modern city state’s founder, saying he had created a “false picture” of urgency for their family home to be demolished. Lee had earlier in the day called on current Prime Minister Lawrence Wong to take “responsibility” in deciding on the fate of the family home of the country’s most powerful political clan. Local media reported in the evening... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3283936/lee-hsien-yang-creating-false-urgency-38-oxley-road-demolition-singapore-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3283936/lee-hsien-yang-creating-false-urgency-38-oxley-road-demolition-singapore-says?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 25 Oct 2024 12:24:19 +0000 We have selected seven stories from this week’s news across Hong Kong, mainland China, the wider Asia region and beyond that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. China hit by sudden rise of sea water level ‘never seen in history’ Late Monday evening, along the coast of northeastern China’s Bohai Sea, the water began to rise as it normally does when tide comes in. But the water kept rising. It... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3283634/china-sees-sudden-rise-sea-water-jobs-hong-kong-top-talents-scmps-7-highlights?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3283634/china-sees-sudden-rise-sea-water-jobs-hong-kong-top-talents-scmps-7-highlights?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 25 Oct 2024 04:30:08 +0000 In being granted asylum in the UK, Lee Hsien Yang, the younger son of Singapore’s founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, joins the ranks of other political dissidents from the city state who took up such a status abroad out of fear of persecution. Lee Hsien Yang, 67, is the estranged brother of former Singapore prime minister Lee Hsien Loong, 72. The younger Lee brother and his late sister Lee Wei Ling in 2017 made public their feud with their oldest sibling over the fate of 38 Oxley Road, their... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3283721/leaving-singapore-look-lee-hsien-yang-and-6-others-who-chose-asylum?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3283721/leaving-singapore-look-lee-hsien-yang-and-6-others-who-chose-asylum?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Oct 2024 11:24:15 +0000 Singapore will conduct a heritage study on 38 Oxley Road, the former family home of founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, to assess if the site should be preserved. The home has been at the centre of a long-running dispute among Lee’s children, with the younger two, Lee Hsien Yang and the late Lee Wei Ling, making public their conflicting views with their older brother and former prime minister Lee Hsien Loong in 2017. The brothers have been estranged since. Announcing on Thursday, Singapore’s... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3283637/singapore-weighs-preserving-38-oxley-road-despite-lee-hsien-yangs-demolition-bid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3283637/singapore-weighs-preserving-38-oxley-road-despite-lee-hsien-yangs-demolition-bid?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Oct 2024 05:39:36 +0000 Lee Hsien Yang, the brother of former Singapore prime minister Lee Hsien Loong, has said that he is a “political refugee from Singapore” under the 1951 UN Refugee Convention and that he has received asylum status in the UK. The two sons of founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew have been estranged since Lee Hsien Yang, 67, the younger of the brothers, and his late sister Lee Wei Ling made public a conflict with their older brother in 2017, alleging the then prime minister was misusing his power to... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3283360/lee-hsien-yang-says-he-political-refugee-singapore-sought-uk-asylum-status?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3283360/lee-hsien-yang-says-he-political-refugee-singapore-sought-uk-asylum-status?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Oct 2024 07:06:15 +0000 The estranged brother of Singapore’s former prime minister Lee Hsien Loong has revealed he will apply to demolish their family home to “honour my parents’ last wishes”, potentially reigniting a long-running feud between the Lee siblings a week after the death of sister Lee Wei Ling. Lee Hsien Yang on Tuesday morning said on Facebook he intended to build a small private dwelling in place of the family bungalow at 38 Oxley Road, which will be “held within the family in perpetuity”. “I am the sole... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3282450/singapores-lee-hsien-yang-apply-demolish-oxley-road-home-honour-my-parents-wishes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3282450/singapores-lee-hsien-yang-apply-demolish-oxley-road-home-honour-my-parents-wishes?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Oct 2024 09:06:12 +0000