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Live Blog Day 6: Queue to Parliament House to pay respects to Mr Lee Kuan Yew closed 

Today (March 28) is the last day of the lying-in-state of Mr Lee Kuan Yew at Parliament House, which will end at 8pm.

The queue at the Padang yesterday (March 27). Photo: Jason Ho

The queue at the Padang yesterday (March 27). Photo: Jason Ho

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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.

Photos: Alvin Chong/Channel NewsAsia

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." 

Photos: Lee Hsien Loong/FACEBOOK

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.

Photos: Kelly Ng, Valerie Koh/TODAY

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.

Photos: Wong Pei TIng, Valerie Koh, Kelly Ng/TODAY

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.

Photos: Wong Pei Ting, Valerie Koh, Kelly Ng/TODAY

9.30pm: Even though the queue has closed, those left in the packed queue are still feeling the heat. Some volunteers are spotted fanning the crowd with cardboard pieces - apparently for five hours now.

Photos: Wong Pei Ting/TODAY

8.45pm: Spotted: Former US president Bill Clinton has arrived to pay his last respects. He is welcomed by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and family. Former Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs Thomas Donilon was also present.

Photos/Video: Siau Ming En, Raj Nadarajan/TODAY

8.28pm: The State Funeral Organising Committee releases a statement saying newcomers would no longer be admitted to the queue to enter Parliament House. Members of the public are encouraged to line the State Funeral Procession route from Parliament House to UCC, it said, adding that public service officers from agencies located along the route will be lining the streets to pay their final respects to the late Mr Lee. This includes Singapore Police Force bagpipers who will play Auld Lang Syne as the Gun Carriage passes by Cantonment Complex.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) will sound the “All-Clear” signal twice, through its network of Public Warning System sirens, as a call for everyone to observe a minute of silence together - a first by the SCDF, adds the statement. 

At the two land checkpoints, all persons and vehicle checks will be stopped to observe the minute of silence. The Funeral Service will also be broadcast at Changi Airport, libraries and hospitals for staff and visitors to participate in the one minute of silence. Prior to the minute of silence, all MRT trains will pull to a stop at stations and open their doors. Buses scheduled to depart from bus interchanges or terminals will also be held back during the one minute of silence.

8pm: The queue has closed.   People are seen rushing to enter the queue before 8pm. As the queue closes, announcements are made in four languages about the closure. People are advised to head to the community tribute centres. Disappointed visitors read the cards handed out to them as they walk away. By 8.20pm, the crowd has mostly dispersed.

Photos: Valerie Koh/TODAY

7.50pm: Army officers are standing by at the entrance of the queue with stacks of cards in hand, preparing to hand them out to members of the public when the queue closes at 8pm. They are printed on both side, in English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil. Officers are heard telling members of the public not to run and to regard their safety first. Meanwhile, City Hall MRT station looks empty, as the remaining crowd is ushered to Exit A, while Exit B has been closed.

Photos: Valerie Koh, Wong Pei Ting/TODAY

7.45pm: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong arrives at the Padang and thanks the crowd for coming.

Addressing the media, he said the week since Mr Lee Kuan Yew passed away has been "a tremendous experience". "I think the response from all segments of our society, everybody, has been overwhelming. Here, queuing up to enter the Parliament house to pay respects, at the constituencies tribute sites, online, overseas at our embassies, commissions, consulates," he said.

He added that many Singaporeans and people all over the world will be watching Mr Lee Kuan Yew's State Funeral service tomorrow. "So I hope we will focus ourselves on that ceremony, which is a very important one...I hope tomorrow we will have a ceremony that will be fitting mourning and celebration of Lee Kuan Yew's life."

Photo: Kelly Ng/TODAY

7.30pm: The police have begun to move barricades, in preparation for the 8pm cut-off time, in which no new visitors will be allowed to join in the queue to Parliament House. The crowds streaming in are walking briskly to make it into the queue.

Photo: Valerie Koh/TODAY

7.18pm: Spotted: Law and Foreign Affairs K. Shanmugam thanking crowds in the priority queue. As evening falls and the cut-off time of 8pm approaches, a steady stream of people are still seen coming in to pay respects to Mr Lee Kuan Yew.

Photos: Valerie Koh, Jordon Simpson/TODAY

6.15pm:  Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean arrives at the Padang. Speaking to reporters, Mr Teo said about 415,000 people have paid their respects at Parliament House and 850,000 have paid their respects at various community tribute sites as at 6pm.

"This is a number we never really expected to be so large," he said, adding that authorities will be closing the queus at 8pm as scheduled to give them the hours they need in order to clear those who are already in the queue. These several hours will also give organisers enough time to prepare both the Padang and the Parliament House for the state funeral procession, he said.

"We want to thank everyone who came for their patience and understanding, and the spirit I think, was really the Singapore spirit. I was here over several nights and it was really a wonderful spirit of unity and cooperation," he said.

All 18 community sites at various places will be open 24 hours for people to continue paying their respects, he said. "In fact, I've been there myself...and it's a very moving experience because three generation families are there - grandparents, parents and children. They spend time talking to each other, sharing their experiences and some of them personal anecdotes about Mr Lee himself or how Mr Lee helped them. Sometimes the children themselves don't even know that from the grandparents. So it's a very moving experience," he said. 

Photos: Valerie Koh, Wong Pei Ting/TODAY

6.10pm: Queue update: The waiting time as at 6pm is 8 hours. People will not be allowed to join queue to Parliament House from 8pm. Those already in the queue can continue.

5.15pm: Queue update: The waiting time as at 5pm is 5 hours. Mr ‪‎Lee Kuan Yew‬'s Lying in State ends at 8pm today. Here are some photos of the queue situation at 5pm.

Photos: Wong Pei Ting/TODAY

5pm: Madam Lee Gin Hong, 86, was seen arriving in an ambulance from Upper Thomson. She has been pressing her family to bring her to Parliament House to pay her final respects to Mr Lee. When she learnt that today is the last day for the public to pay their respects, she was adamant that she came. Madam Lee was escorted into Parliament House by ushers after her arrival. Her daughter Jena Yeo, who is in her mid-40s, said her mother has immense respect and admiration for Mr Lee.

See more Faces in the crowd  here

Photos/Video: Lee Yen Nee, Ooi Boon Keong, Raj Nadarajan/TODAY

4.45pm: Spotted: Philippines Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario, Philippines Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima, Alibaba Group Chairman Jack Ma and former US ambassador to Singapore Steven Green arrive at Parliament House to pay their respects to Mr ‪Lee Kuan Yew. 

Photos: Siau Ming En, Ooi Boon Keong, Raj Nadarajan/TODAY

4.35pm: Spotted: Mr Hau Pei-tsun, former leader from Taiwan, arrives to pay his respects.

Photo: Siau Ming En/TODAY

4.20pm: Queue update: The waiting time as at 4pm is now 4 hours. Mr ‪‎Lee Kuan Yew‬'s Lying in State ends at 8pm today.

Photo: Yvonne Lim/TODAY

4.10pm: Spotted: American diplomat and former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who was a close friend of Mr Lee, arrives to pay his respects. He told reporters in a later interview that Mr Lee "meant a lot to me".

Photos: Ooi Boon Keong, Tan Weizhen/TODAY

4.05pm: Queues are orderly over at the Padang. Besides directing the crowd, officers are seen thanking members of the public as they stand in queue. They also talk to the crowd, asking them if they are feeling okay. Our reporters on the ground say the ushers were given instructions to close off the queue at 8pm and to not allow any more new visitors to enter the queue.

Photos: Wong Pei Ting/TODAY

3.55pm: Spotted: Minister for Communications and Information Yaacob Ibrahim joins the crowd in the priority queue and shakes hands with people there, thanking them for coming. Dr Yaacob tells our reporter that people will not be allowed to join the queue after 8pm.

Photos: Yvonne Lim, Wong Pei Ting/TODAY

3.50pm: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong posts a photo on Facebook, thanking the late Mr Lee's medical team. "Part of the medical team that looked after my father, holding vigil this afternoon. Thank you for taking such good care of him," he wrote.

Photo: Lee Hsien Loong/FACEBOOK

3.25pm: A portrait is being set up inside the Parliament House, where Mr Lee Kuan Yew's casket is. The queue has been stopped temporarily, according to our reporter.

Photo: Tan Weizhen/TODAY

3.15pm: Queue update: The waiting time as at 3pm is now 5 hours. Mr ‪‎Lee Kuan Yew‬'s Lying in State ends at 8pm today.

2.55pm: Spotted: Leader of Gerindra Partyand losing candidate in Indonesia's presidential election Prabowo Subianto arrives to pay respects to Mr Lee Kuan Yew. Speaking to reporters, he said he admires Mr Lee. "I think he was a great leader of South-East Asia. He was a good friend of Indonesia, he was a tough leader and I think that we have a lot to learn from his leadership style and from his thinking," he said. 

"His greatest legacy I think is creating a system that has succeeded in creating a meritocracy and in grooming two or three generations of good leaders. So that is his great legacy and Singapore will thrive with what he has achieved. He will be remembered long after he's gone," he added.

 

View image | gettyimages.com

Photo: Getty Images

Photo: Tan Weizhen/TODAY

2.30pm: Faces in the crowd: Three Singaporeans stood outside Supreme Court this afternoon to hand out stickers bearing a black ribbon and the image of Mr Lee Kuan Yew. Mr Andrew Tan, partner at The Shiok Collective said, "It is a little support for us to carry on and remember the spirit of Mr Lee".

Two Taiwanese were also spotted queueing to enter Parliament House - their third attempt to do so after failing the first two tries. They managed to enter after a 1.5 hour wait today. "Mr Lee Kuan Yew played a very important role in building ties between Singapore, and Taiwan and China. My whole family wanted to come, but they couldn't take leave from work, so they asked me to represent them, to pay our last respects as a family to Mr Lee," said Ms Yoshi Wang, 24, a financial planner who has been in Singapore for four months.

See more Faces in the crowd  here

Photos: Amanda Lee, Yvonne Lim/TODAY

2.10pm: Queue update: Waiting time as at 2pm is 4 hours. Mr ‪Lee Kuan Yew‬'s Lying in State ends at 8pm today.

1.50pm: Acts of kindness: Free apples, biscuits, ice water, cut fruits, packed lunches, potong ice cream. The acts of kindness for those in the queue to pay their last respects to Mr Lee Kuan Yew at Parliament House continue. 

1.35pm: SingPost says its staff at post offices will observe a minute of silence in honour of the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew at 4pm tomorrow (March 29). "As a young lawyer, Mr Lee was the legal advisor to the Postal Union, and succeeded in obtaining better pay and conditions for the postal workers. SingPost owes a special debt to Mr Lee in forging a strong labour relationship since then," said its statement.

"We invite all customers to join us as we pay our last respects to the late Mr Lee in these five post offices - Clementi Central, Orchard, Jurong Point, Killiney Road and Singapore Post Centre which operate on Sundays." 

1.30pm: Queue update: Waiting time as at 1pm is 4 hours. Mr ‪Lee Kuan Yew‬'s Lying in State ends at 8pm today

1.15pm: There are passing showers over at the Padang, but people remain in line undeterred. Some are chowing down on free duck rice while they wait. 

1.10pm: Visitor number update: As of 12pm, 371,784 have visted Mr Lee Kuan Yew's Lying In State, while as of 11am, 700,000 have visited community tribute sites.

1.05pm: The Republic of Singapore Air Force's Black Knights were spotted today rehearsing their fly pass for Mr Lee Kuan Yew's funeral procession.

The RSAF Black Knights tomorrow will salute Mr Lee as the procession passes City Hall with a "Missing Man" formation where one Black Knight breaks off.

12.50pm: A village in Tamil Nadu is planning to  have a memorial event for the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew tomorrow (March 29). The village of Ullikottai in the region known as Thanjavur delta, has seen many of their own travelling to Singapore to earn a livelihood. "Our families would like to pray for and pay tribute to the man who is the main reason for our livelihoods,” a poster about the memorial says.

Photo: Thanabal

12.45pm: Tents along the Singapore river shelter the masses that have come out today, as dark clouds loom.

12.40pm: The waiting time to pay respects to Mr ‪#‎LeeKuanYew‬ as at 12pm is now down to 4 hours 

12.35pm: The People’s Association (PA) and its grassroots movement says it supports the initiative by grassroots leaders and residents from East Coast GRC to carry the National Flag along the State Funeral Procession route tomorrow.

12.25pm: Instead of just 10, all 18 Community Tribute Sites (CTS) across Singapore will be open for 24 hours until the end of the State Funeral tomorrow to cater to allow more members of the public to pay their respects. 

12.22pm: Spotted: The King of Bhutan Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and his wife arrive at Parliament House to pay respects to Mr Lee Kuan Yew.

 

View image | gettyimages.com

Photos: Getty Images


Video: Amanda Lee/TODAY

12.06pm: Spotted: Former Malaysian Finance Minister Daim Zainuddin arrives to pay his respects to Mr Lee Kuan Yew. 

12pm: Transport update: Some train and bus services will end later tonight to cater to public in queue to see Mr Lee Kuan Yew

Saturday(March 28)

The last MRT trains from City Hall, Raffles Place and Clarke Quay will leave their stations at about 1am, instead of the usual 11.50pm. Additionally, LRT services and 41 feeder bus services will have extended hours to cater to members of the public who are playing respects to Mr Lee Kuan Yew today. 

Night Bus services will also be ramped up this weekend. These 13 bus services will run from 12.00am to 6.00am, at intervals of 15 minutes, and provide connections to major residential areas, such as Jurong, Bukit Batok, Yishun, Ang Mo Kio, Sengkang and Tampines.

Five trunk services (SBS Transit 32, 124, 145 and SMRT 190 and 851) will also operate on extended hours till 6.00am at 15 minute intervals to provide additional connections from the city to the heartlands.

Sunday(March 29)

All train services will run at shorter headways of between three and five minutes from 11am till 6pm, to provide connections for those who may want to pay their last respects to the late Mr Lee during the State Funeral Procession.    

Commuters can visit www.mytransport.sg, www.sbstransit.com.sg and www.smrt.com.sg for more information.

11.15am: Take note: The Mandai Crematorium will be closed from 1pm, while the Mandai Columbarium will be closed from 3pm for Mr Lee Kuan Yew's cremation service. The National Environment Agency (NEA) is advising visitors, including those observing Qing Ming, to leave the premises before the closing times. 

11.14am: The Russian Embassy of Singapore says it will fly the National Flag at half mast to mark the State Funeral of Mr Lee Kuan Yew. 

First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov will be in Singapore to attend Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s State Funeral.

 

11am: Queue update: The waiting time to pay respects to Mr‪ Lee Kuan Yew‬ as at 11am is 6 hours.

10.38am: Queue update, according to officials on the ground:

  • Normal queue: 4-5 hours
  • Prirority queue: 2.5 hours
  • Special priority queue: 1 hour

10.05am: Visitor number update: As of 9.30am, the number of visitors to Parliament House stands at 330,000, while the number of visitors to community tribute sites was 670,000. 

10am: Inside Parliament House, visitors stream in on the last day that Mr Lee Kuan Yew lies in state. 


Video: Amanda Lee/TODAY

9.45am: Singaporeans overseas also paid tribute to Mr Lee Kuan Yew, at various High Commissions across the globe. Among them was Nicole Seah, who stood as an Opposition candidate in the 2011 General Election.

9.30am: Rehearsals for the funeral procession of the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew from Parliament House to University Cultural Centre were conducted in the wee hours of the morning of March 27. More photos here

Read alsoFuneral service to involve people who reflect Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s legacy

9.20am: Here's the line right outside Parliament House. In case you can't make it there today, here are  18 community tribute sites you can visit instead to pay your respects to Mr Lee Kuan Yew.

9.05am: Queue update: Officials on the ground say wait times at the normal queue are currently 4 to 5 hours, and 3 to 4 hours at the priority queue. 

9am: Mr ‪‎Lee Kuan Yew‬'s funeral procession will pass through historical landmarks. Here's look at why they're significant

8.45am: Compared to last night's masses, City Hall MRT station and Raffles Place are considerably more empty this morning

7am: Today is the last day for the public to pay their respects to Mr Lee Kuan Yew at Parliament House Crowds have begun streaming in to the Padang. 

6.45am: Queues to pay respects to Mr Lee Kuan Yew have reopened as of 6.15am, officials say. 

Queues were closed temporarily at about 11pm last night for the safety and well-being of those in line.
 

Good morning. Here's our live coverage from  Day 5 in case you missed it. 

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