Lee Hsien Yang bids final farewell to sister Lee Wei Ling, scatters ashes in sea off Scotland
"Farewell Ling: my principled, steadfast, and indomitable sister."
In a heartfelt Facebook post on Aug 14, Lee Hsien Yang said his final goodbye to his older sister, Dr Lee Wei Ling.
Honouring her wish, he scattered her ashes into the sea off Scotland - a country they had visited together in their youth.
'One last boat ride'
Mr Lee, the youngest child of the late prime minister Lee Kuan Yew and brother of Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong, shared that Dr Lee had wanted her ashes scattered at sea.
"To honour her wish, I took her on one last boat ride - out from Edinburgh," he wrote.
He recalled how they had toured Scotland while still in school, staying in Edinburgh and visiting well-known attractions such as Arthur's Seat and Edinburgh Castle.
Over the years, Dr Lee returned on her own for medical exams and to hike the "rugged hills she loved so much".
"Farewell Ling: my principled, steadfast, and indomitable sister," he wrote.
Dr Lee died at home last year
In 2020, Dr Lee revealed she had been diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy - a rare degenerative brain disorder that affects movement, balance, and swallowing, and can lead to severe complications such as pneumonia and choking.
She described it in a Facebook post as a "rather nasty brain disease" that would eventually be fatal.
That same year, the Court of Three Judges and a disciplinary tribunal found that Mr Lee and his wife, Mrs Lee Suet Fern, had lied under oath during disciplinary proceedings against Mrs Lee over her handling of the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew's last will. The founding prime minister died on March 23, 2015, at the age of 91.
On Oct 9, 2024, Dr Lee died peacefully at home at 38 Oxley Road. She was 69.
Mr Lee left Singapore in 2022 after failing to attend a scheduled police interview, and was granted political asylum in Britain in August 2024. He did not return for his sister's wake and funeral.
The police have said there are no legal restrictions preventing Mr Lee and his wife from coming back. "They are and have always been free to return to Singapore," the police said in a statement on Oct 11, 2024.
Mr Lee, who has been outspoken on social media about the Government, particularly over issues related to the Oxley Road home of his late father, told CNA at the time that he organised the funeral remotely with help from his son, Li Huanwu, in line with Dr Lee's wishes.