Ma attended Lee’s private wake at Istana, the official residence and office of the president of Singapore. The service, held by Lee’s family, including his eldest son and current Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, was for close friends and relatives. The state funeral is to take place March 29.
According to Ma, his friendship with the former prime minister dates back to the early 1980s when he served as late President Chiang Ching-kuo’s translator. “Lee has been a staunch friend and his passing deprived the world of a visionary leader and the nation of a true ally,” he said.
“Under Lee’s leadership, Taiwan-Singapore ties have seen healthy development over the years, paving the way for robust exchanges across the cultural, economic and political spheres.”
Ma is the second ROC head of state to visit Singapore after former President Lee Teng-hui in 1989. This was his first trip to a country without official diplomatic ties since taking office in May 2008.
The president was accompanied by former Control Yuan President Frederick Chien and former National Security Council Secretary-General Hu Wei-chen on the trip. The group returned to Taiwan before midnight. (YHC-JSM)
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