Singapore’s founding father dies at 91

The statesman who changed Singapore from a small port city to a wealthy international hub, Lee Kuan Yew has died at 91.

He was respected and acclaimed for his role as the creator of Singapore’s wealth nowadays, after being prime minister of the city-state for 31 years. However, he was criticised for the way he held on to power, with his leadership being characterised by a lack of freedom of speech and at times persecution of political opponents.

Local reports say that a state funeral will be held on 29 March, after a week of mourning.

Current prime minister, and Lee’s son Lee Hsien Loong announced the sad news in the early hours of Monday morning and paid tribute to his father in an emotional televised address.

"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," he said.  

Lee had overseen Singapore's independence from Britain and separation from Malaysia. He had been in hospital for several weeks with pneumonia and was on life support for the past few days.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he was “deeply saddened” by the news of the death, and US President Barack Obama described him as a "giant of history". The Chinese foreign ministry called him "a uniquely influential statesman in Asia".

The charismatic Lee, had co-founded the People’s Action Party (PAP), the party that has governed the country since 1959, and he was it’s first prime minister.