PM Lee remembers consummate journalist in condolence letter

SINGAPORE - Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong called the late Mr Ee Boon Lee a "consummate journalist" and said that "his contributions will never be forgotten" in a condolence letter to the wife of the former Straits Times reporter on Monday.

In his letter, PM Lee noted that Mr Ee's devotion to the media industry, and highlighted key moments in Mr Ee's career, such as his numerous coverage of Mr Lee Kuan Yew's overseas trips.

Mr Ee started as a reporter with the Singapore Tiger Standard, and was a reporter with The Straits Times from 1954 to 1963. He also had stints at Radio and TV Singapore and the Singapore Monitor.

In 1964, Mr Ee accompanied then-Prime Minister, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, when the latter was in Africa to explain the formation of Malaysia to African leaders.

Mr Ee also reported on Mr Lee's trip to Eastern Europe after the separation of Singapore from Malaysia, to brief them of Singapore's independent and sovereign status.

He later joined NTUC as the Senior Editor of the labour newspaper The Singaporean, which was later revamped as NTUC News.

"He helped to communicate NTUC's efforts to save jobs and improve workers' lives," PM Lee said in his letter.

"He concurrently edited the PAP newsletter Petir, profiling the good work that the Party was doing on the ground."

PM Lee said that Mr Ee impressed him with his "feel for the ground, and his knack for communicating with a wide range of Singaporeans".

Mr Ee died on Sunday after battling a blood disorder for more than a year.

grongloh@sph.com.sg