SINGAPORE: The procession bearing Lee Kuan Yew's casket arrived at Parliament House on Wednesday morning to the cheers of crowds that had gathered at North Bridge Road.
As the carriage came to the entrance of Parliament House, the thousands that lined the road chanted "Lee Kuan Yew", "Lee Kuan Yew".
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Speaker of Parliament Halimah Yacob, the Chief of Defence Ng Chee Meng and Commissioner of Police, Hoong Wee Teck, received the casket.
The procession left Sri Temasek to make its way to Parliament House at 9am.
The coffin bearer party carried the casket, draped with the state flag, onto the gun carriage.
A foot procession led by Hsien Loong, his wife Ho Ching and their family marched through the Istana grounds. Also present were Lee’s daughter Dr Lee Wei Ling, his youngest son, Lee Hsien Yang and his wife Lee Suet Fern; his grandchildren XiuQi, Yipeng, Hongyi, Haoyi, Shengwu, Huanwu and Shaowu.
The Singapore Armed Forces Band played Beethoven's Funeral March No 1 as they marched.
The gun carriage passed by a military Line of Honour made up of 48 personnel from Singapore Armed Forces Military Police Command. Also present were 20 representatives from Tanjong Pagar - a constituency the later Lee represented as MP since 1955, and Teck Ghee constituencies.
It also passed by The Lawn, an English garden with beautiful and stately Yellow Flames. There, 12 Istana landscape technicians and horticulturalists led by Istana’s curator, Koh Soon Kiong, lined up along the entrance to the garden.
As the carriage came to a stop, a bag piper from the Singapore Gurkha Contingent played Auld Lang Syne.
In the first row are Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, Singapore President Tony Tan and his wife Mary Chee who were waiting at the Plaza.
The carriage then made its way to the entrance.
People cheered "Lee Kuan Yew" and "MM Lee, we love you" while another called out "Grandfather of Singapore" as the gun carriage made its way out of the Istana main gate. Some were sobbing.
Along North Bridge Road people clapped respectfully as the gun carriage and procession passed. Outside the Parliament House, about 1,000 people were seen in the queue at 8.45am.
Lee, Singapore's first Prime Minister, will lie in state at Parliament House from Wednesday to Saturday, March 29.
He died at the Singapore General Hospital at the age of 91 on March 23. - The Straits Times/Asia News Network
