Singapore roads to be closed on Sunday for founder's funeral

Singapore, March 28: Several roads in Singapore will remain closed on Sunday to facilitate the funeral of former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, who died at the age of 91 on Monday.

Lee, the founder of modern Singapore, died after a long battle with pneumonia.

The funeral procession will start at 12.30 pm. It will leave Parliament House for the University Cultural Centre (UCC) located at the National University of Singapore (NUS) where the funeral service will take place, The Straits Times reported.

After the funeral service, Lee's body will be taken to Mandai Crematorium.

Asian leaders who will attend the funeral are Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, King of Malaysia Abdul Halim, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Myanmar President Thein Sein, Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, Vietnam Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and South Korean President Park Guen-Hye.

Among the world leaders who will be in attendance are former US President Bill Clinton, former secretary of state Henry Kissinger, Britain's first secretary of state William Hage, Austalian Prime Minister Tony Abbot, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin and Governor General of Canada David Johnston.

Lee was the first prime minister of Singapore from 1965 to 1990, heading the island-country for 35 years.

IANS