Lee Hsien Yang Granted Political Asylum in the UK

Lee Hsien Yang, a prominent member of Singapore’s founding family, announced on Tuesday that he has been granted political asylum in the United Kingdom. He accused the Singaporean government of persecuting him throughout his brother’s tenure as prime minister. In a statement shared on Facebook, Mr. Lee revealed that the UK had determined he faced a significant risk of political persecution and could not safely return to Singapore. This decision came after he applied for asylum in June 2022.

“I never imagined in my worst nightmares that I would end up becoming a refugee from a country that my father built,” Mr. Lee remarked in a phone interview conducted from London, where he and his wife have resided for the past two years. “But that’s the circumstance that I find myself in.”

Mr. Lee is the youngest child of Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s first prime minister, who famously declared the nation’s independence from British colonial rule in 1963. His older brother, Lee Hsien Loong, served as Singapore’s prime minister for two decades until earlier this year and continues to hold significant positions as a senior minister and the secretary-general of the ruling People’s Action Party.

The British government approved Mr. Lee’s asylum claim in August, recognizing that he had a “well-founded fear of persecution.” This approval allows him to remain in the UK for five years, as stated in a letter from the Home Office provided by Mr. Lee. At the end of this period, he will have the opportunity to apply for an extension of his stay.

In response to Mr. Lee’s claims, Andrea Goh, a spokeswoman for the Singaporean government, denied any allegations of a “baseless” and “unfounded” campaign against him and his family. In a statement published on the government’s website, she asserted: “They are and have always been free to return to Singapore.” This statement was released following an interview with Mr. Lee that appeared in The Guardian on Tuesday.