Vietnamese PM: Lee Kuan Yew’s death a loss to Singapore, ASEAN   The death of former Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew is a great loss to not only Singapore but also the ASEAN community, wrote Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung in a funeral book for the deceased at the Singaporean Embassy in Hanoi on March 23. The late PM’s contributions to Singapore and the national building and development cause are a source of encouragement for the next generation, he wrote. The Vietnamese people will always remember the love and valuable support of former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew for Vietnam, he added. PM Dung also expressed his hope that the Government and people of Singapore will be able to overcome their loss. Lee Kuan Yew passed away early on March 23 at the age of 91. He was the founding Prime Minister of Singapore and father of the current Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. He has been widely credited with turning Singapore into one of the most affluent economies in Asia within three decades. Deputy PM expresses sympathy over Lee Kuan Yew’s death Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh extended his heartfelt condolences to the Singaporean Government and people over the death of the country’s former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew. Talking to Singaporean Foreign Minister K. Shanmugam over the phone on March 23, Minh said the deceased, who established and laid solid foundations for Singapore’s development, was a great friend of the Vietnamese people. He stressed that the late PM’s contributions to the two countries’ relations are eternally treasured. Paying respect to the late leader at the Singaporean Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City, Politburo member and Secretary of the city’s Party Committee Le Thanh Hai wrote in the funeral book that the death of former PM Lee Kuan Yew is a great loss to the Singaporean Government and people as well as to the world. HCM City’s Party Committee, authorities and people also lost a friend who paid special attention to Vietnam, he wrote, adding that he hopes the Singaporean Government and people will soon overcome their loss. The same day, local officials, people and Singaporean nationals also came to the Consulate General to pay tribute to the late leader. Lee Kuan Yew passed away early on March 23 at the age of 91. He was the founding Prime Minister of Singapore and father of the current Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. He has been widely credited with turning Singapore into one of the most affluent economies in Asia within three decades. Lee Kuan Yew sets firm foundation for VN-Singapore ties Former Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, together with Vietnamese leaders, have created a solid foundation for the relations between Singapore and Vietnam, Foreign Ministry’s spokesman Le Hai Binh said in response to reporters’ queries on the death of the founding PM on March 23. “Our heartfelt condolences go out to the family of former PM Lee Kuan Yew, the Government and people of Singapore over the death of former PM Lee Kuan Yew – a brilliant thinker and strategist, who founded and forged a developed Singapore today,” Binh said. He expressed his belief that Singaporean people will go on towards new attainments in the cause of multi-dimensional development for their country. He also said he believes the cooperative ties between Vietnam and Singapore will continue to grow for the mutual benefits of the two peoples, as well as for peace, stability and cooperation in the region and around the world. Lee Kuan Yew was Singapore’s Prime Minister from 1959 to 1990. He passed away early on March 23 at the age of 91. He was the founding Prime Minister of Singapore and father of the current Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. He has been widely credited with turning Singapore into one of the most affluent economies in Asia within three decades. VNA