Lee Kuan Yew's grandson leaves Singapore for fear of arrest

Lee Sin Yu, nephew of former leader Lee Kuan Yew, recently revealed the reason he left Singapore.

Mr. Ly Sinh Vu. Photo: Reuters

“In Singapore, sometimes a person can be arrested and questioned without a lawyer,” Mr. Ly Sinh Vu revealed in an interview with Reuters news agency released today (August 18).

“My friends warned me that they were concerned about my safety if I continued to stay in Singapore,” Vu explained, but declined to specify who the “friends” were and whether there was any specific information about the concerns.

Reuters also said there was no independent evidence that Lee was threatened. Lee is the nephew of the late leader Lee Kuan Yew and calls Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong his uncle.

However, the press secretary of the Prime Minister's Office, Ms. Chang Li Lin, confirmed that the information about Mr. Li's arrest and interrogation was "inaccurate".

“The Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) has sought permission from the High Court to initiate proceedings against Mr Lee for contempt of court. This is a pre-existing legal proceeding. The law and procedures applicable to contempt cases, including Mr Lee’s case, are clear. The court will determine the merits of this case,” Ms Chang Li Lin said.

She also added that AGC had suggested that it would let things go if Li Shengyu apologized, but he did not.

On August 4, the AGC said it would prosecute Lee Sheng-yu for content he posted on Facebook related to a dispute between the three children of late Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew over the fate of an inherited house.

Accordingly, Ly Sinh Vu accused the Singapore government of being "litigious" and preventing freedom of speech.

Li Shengyu left Singapore for the US on July 23, just two days after receiving the apology request from AGC.

On August 4, instead of apologizing, Lee asserted that “all my criticisms are aimed at the argumentative nature of the Singapore government, and the way it uses legal provisions and actions to suppress freedom of speech.”

This is part of a recent dispute within the Lee family, mainly between Lee Kuan Yew's three children, including current Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, CEO Lee Hsien Yang and his sister, neuroscientist Lee Wei Ling, regarding the handling of the house left by their father.

In his will, Mr. Lee Kuan Yew wished for the house to be demolished to avoid the risk of it becoming a cult of personality after his death, but Mr. Lee Hsien Loong did not do so.

Mr Lee Hsien Loong's siblings claim that their brother deliberately prevented its demolition for his own political benefit.

According to Tuoi Tre