Lee Kuan Yew's body moved to Singapore parliament for mourning

The body of Singaporean statesman Lee Kuan Yew has been moved by gun carriage from his official residence to parliament where it will lie in state.

Thousands lined the streets to pay tribute to Mr Lee, who led the city-state to independence and served as its prime minister for 31 years.

Singapore is observing a week of mourning for the deeply respected leader, who died in hospital on Monday aged 91.

A state funeral will be held on Sunday.

Mr Lee's body has been resting at the Istana - the compound which houses the president's official residence and the prime minister's office - for a private family mourning period. Thousands have already left flowers and message at its gates and signed books of condolence.

His flag-draped coffin, accompanied by representatives of the military and government, was then carried from the Istana through the main shopping and business districts, before arriving at Parliament House.

Crowds cheered, clapped and chanted his name as the procession passed by.

Many organisations and businesses are giving employees time off to pay their respects.

On Tuesday, Singapore's current prime minster, Mr Lee's son Lee Hsien Loong, thanked all who had paid tribute, via his Facebook page.

He also announced that a new orchid - Singapore's national flower - had been named after his father. The orchid, named Aranda Lee Kuan Yew, will also be displayed at parliament house.

Global admirationLee Kuan Yew - widely known as LKY - oversaw Singapore's independence from Britain and separation from Malaysia and co-founded the People's Action Party (PAP), which has governed Singapore since 1959.


He was the architect of Singapore's transformation from a dependent, port city to a stable, prosperous independent state and a global financial hub.

However, he also introduced tight control. One of his legacies was a clampdown on the press - tight restrictions that remain in place today - while measures such as corporal punishment have been criticised as repressive.

Dissent - and political opponents - were ruthlessly quashed. Today, PAP remains firmly in control. There are currently six opposition lawmakers in parliament.

He was widely admired by world leaders, but criticised what he saw as the overly liberal approach of the US and the West, saying it had "come at the expense of orderly society".