Live Blog Day 5: Day 3 of public phase of national mourning

12.05am: The Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) issues a clarification over an article posted by The Real Singapore, which claimed the situation at City Hall was chaotic. "This is false and irresponsible reporting. The situation is calm and the crowd is dispersing," says the MCI.

12am: The crowd at the City Hall MRT exit after the temporary closure of the Padang queue to Parliament House.

Photos: Raj Nadarajan/TODAY

11.35pm: All New Zealand government departments and public buildings will be flying their flags at half-mast on Sunday (March 29) to mark the funeral of Mr Lee Kuan Yew.

11.16pm: The police are telling people that the Padang area is on a temporary lockdown. Those who have family members or friends inside will have to wait outside the locked down area until the crowd in the Padang lessen. 

Photo: Jean Khoo/TODAY

Photos: Raj Nadarajan/TODAY

11.10pm: Temporary closure: The queue for lying in state at Parliament House is temporarily closed for the safety and well-being of those in the line, according to a statement released by the State Funeral Organising Committee.

As at 11pm, more than 290,000 people have paid their respects to Mr Lee at the Parliament House.

Read the full story here.

A massive crowd had bottlenecked just outside the City Hall MRT station at Raffles City Shopping Centre.

Photos: Raj Nadarajan, Don Wong/TODAY

10.50pm: The police are closing the City Hall MRT station exit to St Andrew's Cathedral. 

Video: Yvonne Lim, Laura Philomin/TODAY

Photo: Raj Nadarajan/TODAY

10.34pm: Announcements are being made at City Hall MRT station that Padang is not accepting any more people to the queue to Parliament House. The public is being told to go home.

10pm: Queue update: The estimated waiting time is up to 10 hours, as at 10pm. Members of the public are strongly advised not to join the queue at Padang.

TODAY reporters on the ground say that the special express priority queue for wheelchair users and families with prams have now extended to two lines.

9.10pm: Over at the Nee Soon GRC community tribute site, Foreign Affairs Minister K Shanmugam tears up while delivering his tribute. "Mr Lee's meritocratic system allowed me to go to RI, then to Law School," he says. "He had the habit of calling you at 2am, 3am, 4am and ask you, 'What are you doing?' I feel like asking him, 'What do you think people are doing at 3am?' But you don't speak like that to Mr Lee."

Some 15,000 residents came to pay respects to Mr Lee Kuan Yew at the Yishun tribute event, but candles are limited to about 3,500.

9pm: Queue update: The estimated waiting time is up to 8 hours. Members of the public are strongly advised not to join the queue at Padang.

The SCDF Public Warning System siren will be sounded twice islandwide at about 4pm on Sunday (March 29) to signal the start and end of a minute of silence for the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew, announces the State Funeral Organising Committee. More details here.

8.56pm: Spotted: Manpower Minister Tan Chuan-Jin by the Singapore River, thanking members of the public for paying their respects to the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew.

A tribute for Mr Lee is seen on the exterior of The Fullerton Hotel.

8.10pm: Queue update: As at 8pm, the estimated waiting time is up to 8 hours. Members of the public are strongly advised not to join the queue at Padang.

TODAY reporters on the ground say the crowd has built up at City Hall MRT station, and police are making announcements at the station to direct those heading to Parliament House.

7.45pm: Acts of kindness: About 60 members of the Singapore Scout Association (SSA) have been stationed at the Padang, Marina Bay Floating Platform and outside the Arts House since 6pm to help collect trash.

Chief commissioner for the SSA, Mr Tan Cheng Kiong says: "We thought we should come here to do whatever we can. One of the things we thought we could help was to get people to throw their trash properly."

7.30pm: The Indian Government has declared a day of national mourning on Sunday (March 29) as a mark of respect to the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew. The Indian National Flag will be flown at half-mast throughout the country and there will be no official entertainment on that day, an official statement said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be attending the funeral.

7.10pm: Queue update: The estimated waiting time is up to 8 hours, as at 7pm. Members of the public are strongly advised not to join the queue at Padang.

Photo: Don Wong/TODAY

6.44pm: Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen gives details of Sunday's State Funeral procession on his Facebook page.

There will be a 21-gun salute fired by four ceremonial 25-pounder guns as the procession journeys around the Padang. Four RSAF Black Knights will also salute Mr Lee Kuan Yew as his body passes City Hall with a "Missing Man" formation where one Black Knight breaks off. As Mr Lee's body crosses the Esplanade Bridge, Patrol Vessels RSS Dauntless and RSS Resilience will also conduct a ceremonial sailpast off the Marina Barrage as SAF's final salute. Read the full story  here.

6.39pm: Priority queue update: As at 6.30pm, the waiting time for the priority queue is at 4 hours. Ushers are asking those who are above 60 to join the priority queue.

6.19pm: Queue update: The estimated waiting time to pay respects to Mr Lee Kuan Yew is up to 8 hours as at 6pm. Members of the public are strongly advised not to join the queue at Padang. 

A massive queue forms near the floating platform.

Photo: Jason Ho/TODAY

6.15pm: Singapore High Commissioner to Malaysia Vanu Gopala Menon (left) with a group of teachers and students from Sri Dasmesh International School today visited the High Commission in Kuala Lumpur to present a tribute to Mr Lee Kuan Yew.

6pm: Resorts World Sentosa announces that its casino will be closed from 2pm to 6pm on Sunday (March 29) as a mark of respect for the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew.

Photo: Facebook/ Resorts World Sentosa

5.35pm: PM Lee Hsien Loong is at the Padang where he shakes hands and speaks to those in line to pay their respects to Mr Lee Kuan Yew. The crowd tells him to "take care”. PM Lee also tells SCDF officers: “I am glad your stretchers are empty".

Photo: Ng Jing Yng, Laura Philomin, Amanda Lee/ TODAY

5.15pm: Queue update: Waiting time to pay respects to Mr Lee Kuan Yew is 10 hours, as at 5pm

5.08pm: Israeli President Reuven Rivlin has arrived to pay his respects to Mr Lee Kuan Yew. He is received by PM Lee Hsien Loong and his wife Ho Ching.

Photo: Raj Nadarajan/TODAY

4.15pm: Queue update: The waiting time to pay respects to Mr ‪Lee Kuan Yew‬, as at 4pm, is 9 hours. 

• There are two priority queues: One for the elderly and families carrying babies, and another has been arranged for the elderly and disabled in wheelchairs 
• The entry points for these queues are located at City Hall MRT station (Exit B) and Raffles City (on the War Memorial Park side), and will coverge at the Singapore Recreation Club
• According to our reporter on the ground, ushers at the start of the queue are pulling out the elderly and families with children in strollers to the priority queues. Ushers are also giving out sweets to children and offering sunblock

4pm: In a Facebook post about yesterday's Special Parliamentary Sitting, ESM Goh Chok Tong says "I felt his presence". 

3.45pm: Live video feed: In response to the overwhelming crowds that are in line to see the Lying in State, PM Lee Hsien Loong announces that there is now a live video feed.

Live stream:

3.30pm: As of 2pm today, the cumulative figures for the number of visitors to the Lying-in-State was 250,000 and the number of visitors to PA’s 18 community site was 510,000.

3.15pm: In a Facebook post DPM Teo Chee Hean says "many more have come than we expected" and that he is "concerned not all may be able to take such a long wait". 

His post in full: 

"It's a very long wait at Parl House - could be 8+ hours as the queue is still building up. Thanked those I met, but am concerned not all may be able to take such a long wait. We have different venues to let as many Singaporeans as possible pay their respects. Many more have come than we expected. Since Wed till mid-morning Fri, 200k+ have paid respects at Parl Hse, & 400k+ at the community tribute sites (CTS). Was at CTSs at Kovan, Sengkang and Pasir Ris these past days - very meaningful as families had plenty of time to watch the videos, leave tributes and tell their kids what Mr Lee had done for all of us. Thanks also to our officers and volunteers who are doing their best to facilitate those paying respects."

3.10pm: Queue update: The waiting time to pay respects to Mr ‪Lee Kuan Yew‬, as at 3pm, is 8 hours. 

3.05pm: Queue update: To accommodate a surge in the crowd numbers, the queues will be extended towards Marina Bay if necessary, organisers have just announced in a post on Remembering Lee kuan Yew's Facebook page. 

"Long queue durations may be expected when the queue capacities are full, and the public is strongly advised not to join the queues at that time, for their comfort and safety. The public will be provided with regular updates on the queue duration."

2.30pm: Train services: All train services (MRT & LRT) will  operate overnight today at frequencies of up to 20 mins. However, there will be no overnight train services on Saturday night as public transport operators need to conduct maintenance of trains and tracks.

41 feeder bus services that will provide connectivity between the train stations and the residential areas will also operate through the night. In addition, SBS Transit and SMRT will operate their normal 13 night bus services tonight from 12am to 2am. These provide connections to major residential areas such as Jurong, Bukit Batok, Yishun, Ang Mo Kio, Sengkang and Tampines.

2.25pm: Jazz artists Rani Singam and Jeremy Monteiro join the many acts who have performed Dick Lee's Home at the lying-in-state of Mr Lee Kuan Yew. 

2.15pm: Veteran opposition politician Chiam See Tong has arrived to pay his respects to Mr Lee Kuan Yew. He is led in by Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and his wife Lina Chiam.

Photo: Ooi Boon Keong/TODAY

Mr Chiam said: "I think Singapore is very lucky to have Mr Lee as our first Prime Minister," Mr Chiam said. "His (Mr Lee's) contributions...tremendously outweigh criticism of him."

2.00pm:  Queue update: The waiting time to pay respects to Mr ‪Lee Kuan Yew‬, as at 2pm, is 8 hours. The queue has snaked all the way towards the Esplanade.

Photos: Jason Ho/TODAY

1.30pm: Mandai Crematorium will be closed on Sunday, March 29 from 1pm for the cremation service of the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew, the founding Prime Minister of Singapore.

1.25pm:  Queue update: The waiting time to pay respects to Mr ‪Lee Kuan Yew‬, as at 1pm, is 8 hours. The wait in the priority queue is 3 hours.

1.19pm: Former Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri arrives to pay respects to Mr Lee Kuan Yew. She is received by PM Lee Hsien Loong and his wife Ho Ching. 

In an interview with media later, Ms Sukarnoputri said she sees Mr Lee as a "mentor" and mentioned the personal relationship between Mr Lee and the Sukarno family.

See also:  Dignitaries pay their respects to Mr Lee Kuan Yew at Parliament House

1.10pm: In memory of the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew, Archbishop William Goh will be  celebrating mass at St Joseph’s Church on Victoria Street. 

Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Yaacob Ibrahim arrives for Friday prayers at Muhajirin mosque in Toa Payoh. MUIS staff on hand say a sermon later will touch on Mr Lee Kuan Yew's contributions to the Malay Muslim community in Singapore.

12.50pm: Former Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudoyhono arrives at the Parliament House where he is received by PM Lee Hsien Loong and Ho Ching. Dr Yudoyhono salutes as he pays his respects to Mr Lee Kuan Yew. 

See also:  Dignitaries pay their respects to Mr Lee Kuan Yew at Parliament House

12.40pm: PM Lee Hsieng Loong thanks Parliament for paying tribute to his father, the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew, in a Special Parliamentary Sitting yesterday.

"My father’s seat in Parliament is now empty. But his resolve to build Singapore and his concern for people’s lives will live on in the House through the words and deeds of my fellow MPs."

12.31pm: As a slight drizzle falls, umbrellas go up.  

12.10pm: Queue update: The waiting time to pay respects to Mr ‪Lee Kuan Yew‬, as at 12pm, is 8 hours.

Members of the public are strongly advised not to join the queue at the Padang now. 

11.55am: Mr Lee Kuan Yew may not have been a “close friend”, but his passing still saddened Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the former Malaysian Prime Minister.

11.38am: Queue update: The waiting time to pay respects to Mr ‪Lee Kuan Yew‬, as at 11am, is 8 hours.

11.30am: DPM Teo Chee Hean speaks at a tribute event at Kallang Theatre, saying the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew saw the importance of inculcating a sense of belonging and ownership in every Singaporean, regardless of race.

"Mr Lee understood the importance of inculcating a sense of belonging and ownership for every Singaporean - that we are all Singaporeans, first and foremost, regardless of race; that each community has a place here, and can chart its own future as an integral part of a united Singapore."

11.25am: First Secretary of State and Leader of the House of Commons William Hague will represent the United Kingdom at the State Funeral of  Mr Lee Kuan Yew, according to a statement from the British High Commision. 

11.15am: Spotted: MediaCorp artistes Chen Liping and Ya Hui were seen joining the snaking queues at the Padang. 

10.30am: Meanwhile in Parliament House, even the old and frail stand and bow to pay their respects to the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew. 

10.15am: Queue update: The waiting time to pay respects to Mr ‪Lee Kuan Yew‬, as at 10am, is 10 hours.

Members of the public are strongly advised not to join the queue at the Padang now. Here's a list of other  community tribute sites around Singapore

10.05am: Police officers are seen at City Hall MRT station diverting members of the public wishing to pay their respects to Mr Lee Kuan Yew to exit via Exit B - North Bridge Road/St Andrew's Cathedral.

10am: While thousands line up in the City Hall area, here's a snapshot of community tribute sites islandwide, which are also seeing crowds streaming in. 

Kallang theatre:

The theatre was where Mr Lee Kuan Yew gave his last National Day speech as Prime Minister in 1990. DPM Teo Chee Hean will be speaking, followed by representatives from the Chinese, Malay, Indian and Eurasian communities. 

East Coast and Joo Chiat GRC tribute centre:

Photos: Koh Mui Foong, Jordon Simpson/TODAY

9.45am: Mr Lee Kuan Yew features on the April 6 edition of Time magazine.

Calling him "The Founding Father of Singapore", the latest Asia edition of the magazine has a preamble stating "Lee Kuan Yew gave the city-state prosperity, at the cost of freedom".

The then 82-year-old Mr Lee was last featured on the cover of Time in 2005, following an interview that lasted five hours over two days. 

9.30am: Acts of kindness: Yeo's sales representative Jasper tan brought his two children, 8-year old Seth and 7-year-old Shain-ann to help distribute packet drinks and water bottles to those in the queue. 

9am: Rehearsals for State Funeral: This morning at around 3am, rehearsals were being conducted for Mr Lee Kuan Yew's state funeral, which will take place on Sunday (March 29).

See also: From Old Parliament House to NUS, the funeral procession for Mr‪ ‎Lee Kuan Yew‬ will pass significant markers. Route details here.

8.54am: Non-stop crowds: Crowds swelled overnight as thousands waited in line to see Mr Lee Kuan Yew lying in state at the Parliament House. 

8.43am: Queue update: The waiting time to pay respects to Mr ‪Lee Kuan Yew‬, as at 8am, is 8 hours.

8.40am: Anticipating the long queue, people have begun sitting down in the queue.

8.30am: Canada's Governor General David Johnston will attend the lying in state (tomorrow) and the State Funeral on Sunday (March 29). 

See also: Singapore missions receives tributes for a "giant of his times"

8.25am: Ushers on the ground are saying that waiting time in the normal queue could be up to 10 hours. 

8.20am: The priority queue starts from the Padang, opposite St Andrew's Cathedral. Estimated waiting time is 7 hours. 

7.30am: The priority queue at the Padang to pay respects to Mr Lee Kuan Yew is seen moving along briskly. 

7.10am: Crowds at Raffles Place continue to swell.

Note: Today is the last day where Parliament House will be open to the public at all hours of the day. Tomorrow (March 28), the public wake will come to an end at 8pm.

7am: Queue update: The waiting time to pay respects to Mr ‪Lee Kuan Yew‬, as at 7am, is 7 hours.

6.10am: Spotted: Among those in line in the wee hours of the morning were celebrities Hong Hui Fang, Xiang Yun, Chen Hanwei, Zoe Tay, Zheng Geping. 

In an interview with Channel NewsAsia, Zoe Tay said: "Even how long you wait, it doesn't matter".

6.05am: Queue update: The waiting time to pay respects to Mr ‪Lee Kuan Yew‬, as at 6am, is 7 hours.

6am: The queue to Parliament House currently stretches all the way to City Hall MRT, despite warnings from the authorities that waiting times could be as long as eight hours. 

Meandering queues were also seen at McDonalds' City Hall outlet.  

5.40am: Queue update: The waiting time to pay respects to Mr ‪‎Lee Kuan Yew‬, as at 5am, is 8 hours.

Members of the public are strongly advised not to join the queue to enter Parliament House now.

Good morning. Here's our live coverage from  Day 4 in case you missed it.