Singapore's founding father Lee Kuan Yew dies at 91 ::: सिंगापुर: ली कुआन यू का निधन

Singapore's founding father Lee Kuan Yew dies at 91 
सिंगापुर: ली कुआन यू का निधन

23 March 2015 Last updated at 00:57 

Lee Kuan Yew, the statesman who transformed Singapore from a small port city into a wealthy global hub, has died at the age of 91.

The city-state's prime minister for 31 years, he was widely respected as the architect of Singapore's prosperity.
But he was criticised for his iron grip on power. Under him freedom of speech was tightly restricted and political opponents were targeted by the courts.

A state funeral will be held on 29 March, after a week of mourning.
In a televised address, his son Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong paid tribute to him.
"He fought for our independence, built a nation where there was none, and made us proud to be Singaporeans. We won't see another man like him."
Mr Lee oversaw Singapore's independence from Britain and separation from Malaysia. His death was announced early on Monday. He had been in hospital for several weeks with pneumonia.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he was "deeply saddened" by Mr Lee's death. US President Barack Obama described him as a "giant of history".

Lee Kuan Yew - a towering political figure in post-colonial Asia

'Incalculable contributions' A charismatic figure, Mr Lee co-founded the People's Action Party (PAP), which has governed Singapore since 1959, and was its first prime minister.
Mr Lee, a Cambridge-educated lawyer, led Singapore through merger with, and then separation from, Malaysia.
Speaking after the split in 1965, he pledged to build a meritocratic, multi-racial nation. But tiny Singapore - with no natural resources - needed a new economic model.
"We knew that if we were just like our neighbours, we would die," Mr Lee told the New York Times in 2007.
"We had to produce something which is different and better than what they have."

 

At the scene:

  The news broke early in Singapore, but it was an announcement many had expected. Mr Lee had been in hospital for more than a month and his condition worsened last week, prompting a deluge of concern both online and at public areas set up for people to pay tribute.
As the nation woke up, a few people began arriving at the hospital, including a retiree and a family of four who wanted to pay their respects before their children went to school. Television and radio immediately began playing pre-recorded packages on Mr Lee's life. 

PM Lee Hsien Loong said he was "deeply grieved". In the days leading to his father's death, he had been a frequent visitor at the hospital. On Friday he shared a photo of himself as a baby smiling and held aloft by his father on social media. "So many happy memories over a lifetime," he wrote.

Obituary: Lee Kuan Yew
Reaction in pictures and tweets

 

Mr Lee speaks during a rally at Farrer park in Singapore on 15 August 1955

 

Mr Lee had been critically ill at Singapore General Hospital, where people left tributes to him

 

As the news broke, people began arriving at the hospital to pay their respects

 

Mr Lee set about creating a highly educated work force fluent in English, and reached out to foreign investors to turn Singapore into a manufacturing hub.
The city-state grew wealthy and later developed into a major financial centre.
But building a nation came with tight controls - and one of Mr Lee's legacies was a clampdown on the press, tight restrictions that remain in place today. 

Dissent - and political opponents - were ruthlessly quashed. Today, Mr Lee's PAP remains firmly in control. There are currently six opposition lawmakers in parliament.
Other measures, such as corporal punishment, a ban on chewing gum and the government's foray into matchmaking for Singapore's brightest - to create smarter babies - led to perceptions of excessive state interference.
But Mr Lee remained unmoved.
"Whoever governs Singapore must have that iron in him. Or give it up," he told a rally in 1980. "I've spent a whole lifetime building this and as long as I'm in charge, nobody is going to knock it down."
 

सिंगापुर: ली कुआन यू का निधन

• 4 घंटे पहले

सिंगापुर को छोटे बंदरगाह से क़ारोबार का वैश्विक केंद्र बनाने वाले ली कुआन यू का निधन हो गया है. वे 91 वर्ष के थे.

ली कुआन यू 31 वर्ष तक सिंगापुर के प्रधानमंत्री रहे और वर्ष 2011 तक सरकार में सक्रिय रहे.
सिंगापुर की समृद्धि का सारा श्रेय ली कुआन यू को दिया जाता है. हालांकि सत्ता पर लगातार क़ाबिज़ रहने के लिए उनकी आलोचना भी की जाती है.

उनके शासन के दौरान अभिव्यक्ति की स्वतंत्रता पर कठोरता के साथ प्रतिबंध लगाया गया और अदालतों ने उनके राजनीतिक विरोधियों को निशाना बनाया.

ली कुआन यू के बेटे ली सिएन लूंग सिंगापुर के मौजूदा प्रधानमंत्री हैं. प्रधानमंत्री के प्रेस सचिव ने उनके निधन की घोषणा की.
उनके कार्यालय की ओर से जारी एक बयान में कहा गया कि सिंगापुर जनरल हॉस्पिटल में सोमवार स्थानीय समयानुसार तड़के 3.18 बजे ली कुआन ने अंतिम सांस ली.