SINGAPORE: Sultan of Johor Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar and Permaisuri Johor Raja Zarith Sofiah Sultan Idris Shah were among the dignitaries who paid their last respects to the late Lee Kuan Yew at the Parliament House today.
The royal couple were accompanied by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who is also Kuan Yew’s eldest son.
Others who paid their last respects today include Singapore president Dr Tony Tan Keng Yam and wife Mary Chee, deputy prime minister Teo Chee Hean and the Singapore Cabinet.
Kuan Yew, 91, passed away at 3.18am Monday morning at the Singapore General Hospital. He had been warded at the intensive care unit of the hospital since Feb 5 for severe pneumonia.
The coffin bearing his body was brought from Seri Temasek at Orchard Road for the lying-in-state at the Parliament House at North Bridge Road this morning.
It will be at the Parliament House until Saturday for the public to pay their respects.
Hsien Loong announced that Parliament House will be opened 24 hours to enable the public to do so.
A state funeral service will be held at 2 pm on Sunday at the University Cultural Centre, National University of Singapore.
The state funeral service will be attended by the late Lee’s family, friends and staff, the President, Cabinet Ministers, Members of Parliament, Old Guards, senior civil servants, grassroots leaders and Singaporeans from all walks of life.
The state funeral service will be followed by a private cremation at Mandai Crematorium.
Straits Times reported that among foreign dignitaries who will be attending the state funeral service are Indonesia's President Joko Widodo, South Korea's President Park Geun Hye, Thailand's Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi.