Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s founding Prime Minister, was a deeply respected figure, not just in Singapore, but around Asia and across the world. Since his passing, the Singapore Institute of International Affairs (SIIA) has received several messages from our partners in the diplomatic, media, think tank and non-profit communities – offering condolences to Singapore, and sharing in our mourning of Mr. Lee.
Below is a brief selection of messages from around Asia and the world.
MYANMAR
“Kindly accept our deepest condolences for the demise of your most beloved outstanding leader and founding father of Singapore, First Prime Minister Mr. Lee Kuan Yew. He was our great Asian leader also and we will all miss him greatly.
We hope that his words of wisdom will be followed by all of us and make our region stronger and more resilient in the future.
All the best and more success to you and your country.”
– U Khin Maung Lynn, Joint Secretary of the Myanmar Institute of Strategic and International Studies (Myanmar-ISIS) in Yangon, Myanmar. Myanmar-ISIS is one of the SIIA’s partner think tanks in the regional ASEAN Institutes of Strategic and International Studies (ASEAN-ISIS) network.
PHILIPPINES
“I wish to convey our deepest condolences on the passing away of former PM Lee Kuan Yew. He will be missed but certainly the contributions he has made to Singapore and the region to which all of us belong will certainly be remembered. We offer our prayers for him, his family and the people he loved so dearly.”
– Dr. Thomas G. Aquino, former Senior Undersecretary, Department of Trade and Industry, Philippines. He supervised the Philipines’ trade promotion efforts, including negotiations for FTAs involving Singapore and the ASEAN Economic Community.
MALAYSIA
“My deepest condolences on the passing of a remarkable man. He made Singapore and Singaporeans stand tall.”
JAPAN
“What a great leader he was.
He defined Singapore.
School children in Japan have known him too, and of his accomplishments as an Asian leader with a global mind, and as a global leader with an Asian mind.
My thoughts are with you.”
– Ms. Aiko Doden, Senior Commentator, NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation). Ms. Doden anchors NHK’s interview and debate program, “Asian Voices” on NHK World TV and on NHK BS1.
USA
“Lee Kuan Yew was such a remarkable leader and man. He lived a full life and left a tremendous legacy. I know his loss must be incredibly painful for you and your compatriots and I am with you in spirit.”
– Dr. Jamie Metzl, partner at Cranemere LLC and a Senior Fellow of the Asia Society, where he was previously Executive Vice President. The Asia Society, a global non-profit organisation headquartered in the USA, is a strategic partner of the SIIA.
URUGUAY
“I would like to express my deepest condolences regarding the recent passing of MM Lee Kuan Yew, that must have brought deep sorrow for you and all the people of Singapore. I deeply admired him and his courage to bring Singapore out of poverty and to the First World.”
– Mr. Marcelo Magnou, Counselor, Embassy of Uruguay, Washington D.C. In 2012, he organised the first ever high-level visit from Uruguay to Singapore, led by Uruguay’s then-Vice President Danilo Astori.
Photo Credit: Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew being welcomed to the White House by then-US President George W. Bush, Oct. 16, 2006, Executive Office of the President of the United States
