Lee Kuan Yew eulogised as architect of Singapore

Singapore - Singaporeans bid farewell to longtime leader Lee Kuan Yew with an elaborate procession on Sunday and a three-hour state funeral where his son, the current prime minister, eulogised the statesman and declared that the wealthy Southeast Asian city state he helped build is his monument.

Tens of thousands of people undeterred by heavy rains lined a 15km route through the city to catch a glimpse of the funeral cortege. Lee's coffin, draped in Singapore's red and white flag and protected from the downpour by a glass casing, lay atop a ceremonial gun carriage that was solemnly led past city landmarks from parliament to a cultural centre where the state funeral was under way.

Walking slowly in the coffin's wake as it exited parliament were Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, other Lee family members and government officials.