Modern Singapore founder Lee Kuan Yew dies at 91

PanARMENIAN.Net - Lee Kuan Yew, the statesman who transformed Singapore from a small port city into a wealthy global hub, has died at the age of 91, BBC News reports.

The city-state's prime minister for 31 years, he was widely respected as the architect of Singapore's prosperity. But he was criticized for his iron grip on power. Under him freedom of speech was tightly restricted and political opponents were targeted by the courts.

A state funeral will be held on March 29, after a week of mourning.

In an emotional televised address, his son Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong paid tribute to him. "He fought for our independence, built a nation where there was none, and made us proud to be Singaporeans. We won't see another man like him."

Lee oversaw Singapore's independence from Britain and separation from Malaysia. His death was announced early on Monday, March 23. He had been in hospital for several weeks with pneumonia and was on life support.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he was "deeply saddened" by Lee's death. U.S. President Barack Obama described him as a "giant of history". The Chinese foreign ministry called him "a uniquely influential statesman in Asia".

A charismatic figure, Lee co-founded the People's Action Party (PAP), which has governed Singapore since 1959, and was its first prime minister. The Cambridge-educated lawyer led Singapore through merger with, and then separation from, Malaysia. Speaking after the split in 1965, he pledged to build a meritocratic, multi-racial nation.

Tiny Singapore - with no natural resources - needed a new economic model. "We knew that if we were just like our neighbors, we would die," Lee told the New York Times in 2007. "We had to produce something which is different and better than what they have."

Lee set about creating a highly educated work force fluent in English, and reached out to foreign investors to turn Singapore into a manufacturing hub.

The city-state grew wealthy and later developed into a major financial center.

But building a nation came with tight controls - and one of Lee's legacies was a clampdown on the press, tight restrictions that remain in place today. Dissent - and political opponents - were ruthlessly quashed. Lee's PAP remains firmly in control. There are currently six opposition lawmakers in parliament.