Singapore statesman Lee to be given 21-gun salute at funeral

March 27, 2015 19:42

Singapore's founding father Lee Kuan Yew who died this week will be accorded a 21-gun salute at his funeral on Sunday, the government said today even as thousands of people gathered outside parliament to pay their last respects to the nation's first prime minister.

Lee died of severe pneumonia on March 23 at the age of 91. Renowned as a global statesman and the founding father of modern Singapore, Lee is credited with transforming the city-state into an economic powerhouse within just three decades of its independence.

He quit as prime minister in 1990 after 31 years in office.

"The Singapore Armed Forces will bid Mr Lee our final farewell with the highest honours," Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said today, adding that Lee would be given a 21-gun salute as his carriage makes its way to the funeral.

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