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Thursday, 26 March 2015

MCI (P) 046/06/2014

Massive crowds mourn Mr Lee

Mourners threw flowers, clapped and shouted goodbye as the gun carriage bearing the body of Mr Lee Kuan Yew left the Istana for Parliament House yesterday. Photo: Don Wong

Visiting hours extended

twice to allow Singaporeans
chance to pay last respects
Teo Xuanwei

Deputy News Editor

xuanwei@mediacorp.com.sg

he immense turnout on the

first day of the public mourning phase for Mr Lee Kuan
Yew prompted the State Funeral Organising Committee to change plans
and extend visiting hours twice in the

span of just over three hours yesterday.

The visiting hours for Mr Lees lying-in-state which started at Parliament House yesterday, were initially
set at 10am to 8pm daily until Saturday. So exceptional was the number
that showed up that the authorities
announced barely two hours after the
public were allowed in to pay their
respects that closing hours would be
pushed to midnight only for yesterday.
When crowds continued to thicken, an announcement came at about
3.45pm that Parliament House would
remain open for 24 hours until 8pm on

He is the father
of Singapore.
No matter how,
we must come.
Ms Aminah Harun
who took time off
from work to pay her
respects to mr lee

Saturday. In tandem, public transport

operators also extended their service
hours to round the clock for yesterday.
The Land Transport Authority said it
would work with the operators to determine if they could also lengthen the
hours for subsequent nights.
As at 10pm yesterday, 37,022 people paid their respects at Parliament
House, with 36,200 condolence cards issued, the Ministry of Communications
and Information said. At around midnight, there was still a steady stream
of visitors.
Singaporeans of all ages and races,

and from all walks of life halted their

daily activities as the nation entered
the public mourning phase for Mr Lee,
in a display of the extent to which the
Republics founding Prime Minister
had touched their lives.
From witnessing the procession carrying his casket to Parliament House
in the morning, to attending the lyingin-state ceremony, they came in droves
schoolchildren, housewives, seniors,
disabled people and even foreigners.
In particular, the chance to pay
their last respects to Mr Lee at close
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