PM Lee touched by huge crowds coming to say goodbye to father Lee Kuan Yew

SINGAPORE - Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong posted a note on Facebook Wednesday, thanking supporters for "queuing so many hours in the hot sun" to say goodbye to his father, Mr Lee Kuan Yew.

He also wrote that he was moved by the huge crowds who came to Parliament House today.

A performance by the St John's College choir from Cambridge, who performed a beautiful rendition of "Home", a song composed by Dick Lee, also struck a chord with PM Lee.

He noted that the choir, which happened to be performing at the Esplanade Concert Hall, had offered to sing at the Lying in State today as a fitting tribute to Mr Lee Kuan Yew.

"My parents studied in Cambridge. They were not in St John’s, but they had friends there, and one of their favourite places was the Bridge of Sighs, which is in St John’s College. They took a picture together at the bridge when they were students, and came back over the years to visit," he wrote.

Another video on PM Lee's Facebook page showed the gun carriage procession which carried Mr Lee Kuan Yew's body from Sri Temasek to the Parliament House, where he will lie in state from today until Saturday, March 28.

Thousands lined the streets from the Istana to Parliament House to witness the funeral cortege on Wednesday morning. Many more stood in line patiently for as long as eight hours to pay their last respects to the late Mr Lee at the Parliament House.

As of 6pm, more than 26,000 visitors paid their respects to Mr Lee Kuan Yew at Parliament House, said a government statement.

candicec@sph.com.sg