Lee Hsien Yang, the youngest son of the founder of modern Singapore Lee Kuan Yew, said on Tuesday he is now a political refugee from Singapore under the UN Refugee Convention.
In a Facebook post, Lee, the estranged brother of former premier Lee Hsien Loong, said Britain has determined he faces “a well-founded risk of persecution, and cannot safely return to Singapore.”
“I sought asylum protection as a last resort. I remain a Singapore citizen and hope that some day it will become safe to return home,” he said.
Singapore’s government said the persecution claim was baseless and unfounded, ChannelNewsAsia reported, citing a response it said was provided to the Guardian newspaper.
Britain’s high commission in Singapore did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Lee Hsien Yang and his sister Lee Wei Ling, who died on Oct. 9, have been at odds with their brother Lee Hsieng Loong, who was premier from 2004 until May this year, over what to do with their father’s home after his death in 2015, in a public spat that saw the siblings estranged.
Lee Hsien Yang said he had sought asylum protection in 2022, citing government persecution against him and his family, and that he was unable to return for his sister’s funeral as a result.
He had said last week that he would apply to demolish Lee Kuan Yew’s home in line with his father’s wishes.
The government said in response it would consider issues related to the property in due course.
Son of founder of modern Singapore says he is now a political refugee
https://arab.news/cwjvq
Son of founder of modern Singapore says he is now a political refugee
- Singapore’s government says the persecution claim was baseless and unfounded
- Lee Hsien Yang said he had sought asylum protection in 2022, citing government persecution
Machado seeks Pope Leo’s support for Venezuela’s transition during Vatican meeting
- Machado is touring Europe and the United States after escaping Venezuela in early 2025
- The pope called for Venezuela to remain independent following the capture of former President Nicolás Maduro by US forces
ROME: Pope Leo XIV met with Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado in a private audience at the Vatican on Monday, during which the Venezuelan leader asked him to intercede for the release of hundreds of political prisoners held in the Latin American country.
The meeting, which hadn’t been previously included in the list of Leo’s planned appointments, was later listed by the Vatican in its daily bulletin, without adding details.
Machado is touring Europe and the United States after she reemerged in December after 11 months in hiding to accept her Nobel Peace Prize in Norway.
“Today I had the blessing and honor of being able to share with His Holiness and express our gratitude for his continued support of what is happening in our country,” Machado said in a statement following the meeting.
“I also conveyed to him the strength of the Venezuelan people who remain steadfast and in prayer for the freedom of Venezuela, and I asked him to intercede for all Venezuelans who remain kidnapped and disappeared,” she added.
Machado also held talks with Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, who was Nuncio in Venezuela from 2009 to 2013.
Pope Leo has called for Venezuela to remain an independent country after US forces captured former President Nicolás Maduro in his compound in Caracas and took him to New York to face federal charges of drug-trafficking.
Leo had said he was following the developments in Venezuela with “deep concern,” and urged the protection of human and civil rights in the Latin American country.
Venezuela’s opposition, backed by consecutive Republican and Democratic administrations in the US, had vowed for years to immediately replace Maduro with one of their own and restore democracy to the oil-rich country. But US President Donald Trump delivered them a heavy blow by allowing Maduro’s vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, to assume control.
Meanwhile, most opposition leaders, including Machado, are in exile or prison.
After winning the 2025 Nobel Prize for Peace, Machado said she’d like to give it to or share with Trump.
Machado dedicated the prize to Trump, along with the people of Venezuela, shortly after it was announced. Trump has coveted and openly campaigned for winning the Nobel Prize himself since his return to office in January 2025.
The organization that oversees the Nobel Peace Prize — the Norwegian Nobel Institute — said, however, that once it’s announced, the prize can’t be revoked, transferred or shared with others.
“The decision is final and stands for all time,” it said in a short statement last week.
