ASIA / PACIFIC
April 6, 2015
THE ASIAN REPORTER n Page 3
Lee Kuan Yew eulogized at funeral as architect of Singapore
By Stephen Wright and Jeanette Tan
The Associated Press
S
INGAPORE — Singaporeans bid farewell to
longtime leader Lee Kuan Yew with an elaborate
procession and a three-hour state funeral at which
his son, the current prime minister, eulogized the
statesman and declared that the wealthy city-state he
helped build is his monument.
Undeterred by heavy rain, about 100,000 people lined a
nine-mile route through the city to catch a glimpse of the
funeral cortège. Lee’s coffin, draped in Singapore’s red
and white flag and protected from the downpour by a glass
casing, lay atop a ceremonial gun carriage that was
solemnly led past city landmarks from parliament to a
cultural center where the state funeral was held.
Along the way, crowds of people chanted “Lee Kuan
Yew,” snapped photos with smartphones, and waved
Singapore’s flag. Four howitzers were fired in a nearby
field, air force fighter jets streaked over the island, with
one peeling off in a “missing man” formation, and navy
patrol ships blasted horns.
“To those who seek Mr. Lee Kuan Yew’s monument,
Singaporeans can reply proudly: Look around you,” Prime
Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in the first of 10 eulogies at
the funeral, which was attended by more than 2,000
people, including schoolchildren, Singapore’s elite, world
leaders, and royalty.
Occasionally drawing tears and laughter, Lee said an
important part of his father’s legacy is that “Singapore’s
voice is heard and we enjoy far more influence on the
international stage than we have any reason to expect.”
As the service neared its conclusion, civil defense sirens
blared across the island to signal a minute of silence. The
government had asked trains and busses to stand still.
During a week of national mourning after Lee’s death at
age 91, some 450,000 people lined up for hours to briefly
view the statesman’s coffin at Parliament House. A
million people visited tribute sites at community centers
around the city.
The expansive show of emotion is a rare event for
Singapore and its 5.5 million people. The island nation,
about four times the size of Washington, D.C., is known
around the world as a wealthy trade and finance center
with a strict social order that includes a ban on chewing
gum and caning for some crimes.
Lee was Singapore’s prime minister for more than three
decades, ruling with an iron grip until 1990. He is
regarded by Singaporeans as the architect of their
nation’s prosperity and harmonious relations among
ethnic Chinese, Malay, and Indian populations. But his
authoritarian rule and crushing of dissent has also left a
legacy of restrictions on free speech, a tame media, and a
stunted democracy.
“He did everything for us Singaporeans regardless of
race, language, or religion,” said Jennie Yeo, a teacher
who arrived at 7:00am to stake out front row positions
with two friends. “Education, housing, everything you can
think of, he’s taken care of for us.”
Lawmakers paid a teary tribute to Lee in a special
sitting of parliament. Low Thia Khiang, the leader of
Singapore’s tiny political opposition, acknowledged Lee’s
role in nation-building in a brief speech, but said he did
not believe one-party rule was the key to the country’s
economic development.
“Many Singaporeans were sacrificed during the process
SINGAPORE STATESMAN. A portrait of the late Lee Kuan Yew
is carried during the state funeral held at the University Cultural Center
in Singapore. During a week of national mourning, some 450,000 people
queued for hours for a glimpse of Lee’s coffin at Parliament House. A mil-
lion people visited tribute sites at community centers across the island
and leaders and dignitaries from more than two dozen countries attended
the state funeral. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)
of nation-building and policymaking, and our society has
paid a price for it,” he said. “This is why Mr. Lee is also a
controversial figure in some people’s eyes.”
Leaders and dignitaries from more than two dozen
countries attended the funeral. The U.S. delegation was
led by former President Bill Clinton. Others included the
prime ministers of India, Japan, and Australia.
Abroad, India declared a national day of mourning and
New Zealand government flags were at half-staff.
Lee’s achievements and legacy are likely to be argued
for years.
Though his widely read memoirs are titled From Third
World to First, Singapore never knew grim poverty.
Before independence in the first half of the 20th century, it
was by the standards of the region a prosperous
commercial hub of the British Empire.
But after its split in 1965 from a short-lived and acrimo-
nious federation with Malaysia, Singapore’s future was
highly uncertain. It lacked natural resources, having to
import even water, and was surrounded by hostile neigh-
bors.
In control of all policy levers, Lee and his government
obliterated independent trade unions, imprisoned
political opponents, reconfigured the education system to
produce workers who met the needs of foreign investors,
and pushed through other changes to make the island
Continued on page 13
‘Spicy’ scent of a Burger King store entices cologne buyers
TOKYO (AP) — The whiff of a Whopper made hundreds
of customers hungry for a Burger King special on April 1
— “Flame Grilled” cologne.
Bottles of the fragrance were sold at the fast-food
chain’s stores in Japan for 5,000 yen (about $40),
including one Whopper burger.
At a downtown Tokyo outlet, 17-year-old student Yuki
Ishibashi bought one out of curiosity. He learned about
the cologne and “I really wanted to try it,” Ishibashi said.
He took a whiff of the spray and described the scent as
“spicy.”
Nanako Katabami bought one as an unusual gift, and
quoted her friend as saying it smelled like a Burger King
store.
Burger King said the cologne sold out at about half of its
90 Japanese outlets by evening. The promotion, available
only in Japan, was timed deliberately for April Fools’ Day.
The company said it hoped the scent would make
customers identify Burger King with a grilled-beef burger
smell.
FLAME-BROILED FRAGRANCE. A customer enters a Burger
King fast-food restaurant in Tokyo on April 1, 2015. For hamburger aficio-
nados who wanted the smell even when they couldn’t get a bite, Burger
King put the scent into a limited-edition fragrance. Burger King said the
Whopper grilled-beef-burger-scented cologne was sold only on April 1,
and only in Japan. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)
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