KUALA LUMPUR — A row between the children of Singapore’s founding prime minister Lee Kwan Yew is in the spotlight again with the announcement by his youngest son, Hsien Yang, on becoming a political refugee in the United Kingdom.
Hsien Yang on Facebook announced that he had been granted political refugee status in the UK, where he went and sought asylum protection from in 2022.
“The Singapore government’s attacks against me are in the public record. They prosecuted my son, brought disciplinary proceedings against my wife, and launched a bogus police investigation that has dragged on for years.
“On the basis of these facts, the UK has determined that I face a well-founded risk of persecution, and cannot safely return to Singapore,” he said in his post.
Seeking asylum was a “last resort”, he added, and hoped it would be “safe to return home” to Singapore some day where he remained a citizen.
Hsien Yang said both he and sister Dr Lee Wei Ling, who died on October 9, did not trust their brother, the former prime minister Lee Hsien Loong, whom they accused of abusing government resources against them.
Hsien Yang’s claims pertain to the public spat between the siblings over the demolition of the Lee family home at 38 Oxley Road, which the late Kwan Yew had wanted demolished after his death, as stated in his will.
Hsien Yang has been accusing brother Hsien Loong of misusing his position to prevent the demolition of the house, where Wei Ling had lived until her recent death.
Following her death, Hsien Yang renewed calls for the house to be demolished.
The Singapore government meanwhile, issued a 12-page statement to rebut Hsien Yang’s claims after UK paper The Guardian requested comment.
It denied any legal restraints on Hsien Yang and his wife from returning to Singapore, dismissing the younger Lee’s claims that he would be criminally prosecuted if he returned.
The government also denied any political repression of Hsien Yang, stressing that its judiciary is impartial and independent.
Hsien Yang and wife left Singapore after failing to attend a scheduled police interview over the giving of false evidence during judicial proceedings regarding Kuan Yew’s will.
The Singapore government in its response said that former PM Hsien Loong had numerous times recused himself from deciding on all matters related to the family home. – October 22, 2024