Lee Kuan Yew's youngest son declares himself a refugee in Britain

In the clash between the sons of the founding father of the modern city-state, Lee Hsien Yang denounces ‘a well-founded risk of persecution’ and claims he cannot ‘safely return to Singapore’. His brother, who was the premier until last May, is under scrutiny. The executive rejects all charges.

Singapore (AsiaNews) - Lee Hsien Yang, the youngest son of the late founder of modern Singapore Lee Kuan Yew, claimed Tuesday that he is a political refugee, in the latest twist in a high-profile feud in the city-state's most famous family.

In a Facebook post, Lee said Britain has ruled that he runs ‘a well-founded risk of persecution and cannot safely return to Singapore’. ‘I have applied for asylum protection as a last resort. I remain a Singaporean citizen and hope one day it will be safe to return home,' he said. The Singapore government responded by calling the allegation of persecution unfounded and baseless.

Lee and his sister Lee Wei Ling, who died on 9 October, were estranged from their influential elder brother Lee Hsien Loong, who was prime minister for two decades until last May. At the source of the rift were disagreements over the future of running his father's house after his death in 2015. Lee Hsien Yang, 67, sided with an opposition party during the 2020 elections and last year said he was considering running for Singapore's presidency.

Last week, Lee Hsien Yang said he would call for the demolition of his father's house in line with his wishes. The government replied that it would consider property issues in due course. Lee Hsien Loong believes it is up to the government to decide what to do with it, including whether it should be kept as a historical monument.

In 2017, Lee Hsien Yang and his sister said they had lost faith in their elder brother, accusing him of abusing his power and fearing that the ‘organs of the state’ could be used against them. Lee Hsien Loong rejected the accusations, in what was a rare criticism of a Singaporean leader. In May, his brother was ordered to pay damages to two cabinet ministers in a defamation lawsuit over his online posts that the government said contained falsehoods about a dispute over ministers' renting out state property.