Foreign leaders and diplomats from around the world will gather in Singapore on Sunday (Mar 29) to attend the State Funeral of Mr Lee Kuan Yew, the country’s founding father.
ASIAN LEADERS
King of Malaysia Abdul Halim and Indonesian President Joko Widodo will be joining other Asian leaders at the University Cultural Centre (UCC), where the Funeral Service for Singapore's first Prime Minister will be held from 2pm to 5.15pm. Other Southeast Asian leaders who have indicated their commitment to attend include Myanmar President Thein Sein, Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.
Asian leaders such as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, South Korean President Park Guen-Hye, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbot, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also be in attendance.
Government leaders from China will also be present at the ceremony, according to the Foreign Ministry in Beijing. However, details of the delegates have not yet not been disclosed.
WORLD LEADERS
On Thursday, United States President Barack Obama announced a Presidential Delegation to participate in the State Funeral. Leading the delegation is former United States President Bill Clinton, and former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who was a close friend of Mr Lee, will also make the trip.
The British High Commission in Singapore announced on Friday that First Secretary of State William Hague will represent the United Kingdom at the State Funeral.
(From L to R) Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and former US President Bill Clinton among the leaders attending the State Funeral. (Photo: AFP)
They will be joined by Governor General of Canada David Johnston, who will pay respects to Mr Lee on Saturday at the Parliament House, where the coffin is lying in state.
Sunday's public ceremony will be preceded by the State Funeral Procession from Parliament House to UCC, which will commence at 12.30pm and cover a distance of 15.4km.
CNA
