Lee Hsien Yang, brother of former Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, recently declared himself a political refugee from Singapore under the 1951 UN Refugee Convention. He sought asylum protection in the UK due to conflicts within the family.
The discord between Lee Hsien Yang, his sister Lee Wei Ling, and their older brother, Lee Hsien Loong, became public in 2017 when they accused the prime minister of misusing his power to prevent the demolition of their family bungalow as per their father’s wishes.
Lee Hsien Yang expressed distrust towards his brother as a leader and sibling in a recent Facebook post. He also revealed that he was unable to attend his sister’s funeral due to fear of state-led retaliation against his family.
Lee Wei Ling passed away at the age of 69 after suffering from a rare and degenerative brain disease. Lee Hsien Yang’s decision to seek asylum protection was driven by the Singapore government’s alleged attacks against him.
The late, former Singapore prime minister Lee Kuan Yew’s Oxley Road residence. Photo: Reuters