Queue to Parliament House to pay respects to Mr Lee Kuan Yew closed
12.02am: UPDATE: About
170 foreign dignitaries from about 27
countries/regions/international organisations attended the 4-day Lying
In State at Parliament House, including the King of Bhutan Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuk, former US President Bill Clinton and Vice President of the People's Republic of China Li Yuanchao.
Some foreign dignitaries
chose to pay their respects at the community tribute sites, said a
statement from the State Funeral Organising Committee. Canadian
Governor-General David Johnston paid respects at the
Tampines Community Plaza where he was received by Members of
Parliament Mah Bow Tan and Baey Yam Keng. South African Minister for
Public Works Thembelani Nxesi paid his respects at the
Tanjong Pagar Community Centre. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong also
received telephone calls from Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Turkey’s Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, who conveyed their condolences.
11.31pm: Chinese Vice President Li Yuanchao arrives to pay respects to Mr Lee Kuan Yew, and then proceeds to sign a condolence book.
11.30pm: Prime Minister Lee
Hsien Loong posts on Facebook, thanking everybody for coming as well as
the help offered from various agencies and groups.
"My father will be laid to
rest tomorrow. My family and I are deeply grateful to everyone who came
to pay their last respects to Mr Lee at Parliament House, Sri Temasek,
and the 18 islandwide community tribute sites. We are overwhelmed by
your good wishes, messages, gifts, understanding and patienc," he said.
"Thank you also to the Singapore Armed Forces, Singapore Police
Force, Singapore Civil Defence Force, uniformed officers, government
agencies, The People's Association, community groups, private companies,
volunteers and donors for your hard work, help and compassion over the
past week."
11.15pm: As of 10pm today,
about 442,297 have paid their respects at Parliament since 10am on
Wednesday. In all, about 1,000,000 visited the 18 community tribute
centres as of 9pm today and 125,450 condolence cards were issued as of
10pm, according to the state funeral organising committee.
10.50pm: More acts of kindness have
been spotted: Ms Nora Neo, 61, is leading a group of about 20
volunteers to collect trash and hand out water and food to those still
in the queue. She had rallied the volunteers on Facebook - they did not
know one another before today. With her is Mr Jay Lamkin, 64, from the
USA.
Another volunteer spotted
was Winston Lumenta, 28, who has been helping to distribute water to
members of the public since 3pm. "It has been an eye-opening experience,
and I've made a lot of new friends. People are generally very nice and
appreciative," he said.
10.45pm: Operations to tear down the site continue. About half of the
Padang field has been cleared so far, according to our reporters. Some
soldiers are seen taking a break and having their dinner.
9.45pm: Army officers are seen packing up the area, as tents are dismantled, barricades are collected and mountains of umbrellas are stacked up for storage. Lt Colonel Yew Thiam Poh, commanding officer of 5SIR, says the tearing down process started around 30 minutes ago, and is estimated to complete in six to seven hours. Some 1,000 men from two battalions have been mobilised for the operation, which involves 360 tents and 2,000 barricades. The soldiers will also ensure that the Padang is clean before they stand down at 6am tomorrow (March 29), he said.
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