By Lucy Adautin
Lee Hsien Yang, the youngest son of Singapore’s founding leader Lee Kuan Yew, declared himself a political refugee on Tuesday, marking a new chapter in the long-running public feud within Singapore’s most famous family.
Lee, along with his sister Lee Wei Ling, who passed away on October 9, had been estranged for years from their influential elder brother, Lee Hsien Loong. The discord stemmed from disagreements over the fate of their father’s home following his death in 2015.
In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Lee revealed that Britain had granted him asylum, citing the risk of persecution if he returned to Singapore.
“I sought asylum as a last resort. I remain a Singaporean citizen and hope that one day it will be safe to return home,” he wrote.
Lee served as prime minister for two decades, until stepping down in May this year.
The sibling rivalry had unfolded publicly, with Lee Hsien Yang, 67, aligning himself with an opposition party during the 2020 election and considering a bid for Singapore’s presidency last year, a mostly ceremonial position.
Singapore’s government dismissed the persecution claim as baseless, according to ChannelNewsAsia.
Meanwhile, Britain’s government has yet to comment on the matter, with its high commission in Singapore referring inquiries to the foreign office in London.
Lee explained that he sought asylum in 2022 due to what he described as government “attacks” and persecution targeting him and his family. As a result, he was unable to attend his sister’s funeral. In an interview, he confirmed that Britain had granted him asylum in August.
Last week, Lee announced plans to apply for the demolition of Lee Kuan Yew’s home, in line with his father’s wishes.
In response, the Singapore government stated that the property’s future would be considered in due time, with Lee Hsien Loong advocating that the decision should rest with the government, which could potentially preserve the house as a heritage landmark.
Though Lee Hsien Loong stepped down as prime minister, he remains in the cabinet as senior minister, a position once held by his father.
Lee Kuan Yew, from 1959 to 1990, led Singapore’s transformation from a colonial outpost into a global financial hub.
In 2017, Lee Hsien Yang and his sister publicly expressed their loss of confidence in their elder brother, accusing him of abusing his power and expressing concerns that the “organs of the state” could be used against them.
