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Lee Hsien Yang, seen here in Singapore in 2020, has since sought asylum in the UK
The son of the founder of modern Singapore has been granted asylum in the United Kingdom following allegations of persecution amid a high-profile family feud.
Lee Hsien Yang has long claimed that he was the victim of oppression in his country at the hands of the Singapore government led for 20 years by his brother, Lee Hsien Loong.
The government denies these claims and says he is free to return.
Both men are the sons of revered leader Lee Kuan Yew, who died in 2015. Since then, the brothers have been locked in a years-long dispute over their father's house, which escalated into a violent public family battle.
Lee Hsien Yang showed the BBC some documents, including a letter stating that his asylum application had been accepted. The letter also stated that the British government had granted him “refugee status” for five years, recognizing that he had “a well-founded fear of persecution and therefore cannot return to his country, Singapore.”
Mr Lee, who lives in London, said his wife had also been granted asylum.
A Home Office spokesperson said it was “long-standing government policy that we do not comment on individual cases”.
The BBC independently confirmed Mr Lee's asylum status, but no further details.
“Everything the Singapore government has said is entirely public and must surely have been taken into account when granting refugee status,” Mr Lee said.
“I applied for asylum as a last resort. I remain a citizen of Singapore and hope that one day I will be able to return home safely.”
As a member of what is considered Singapore's “first family” and a former head of Singapore's largest telecommunications company, Mr Lee was an integral part of the country's establishment until he quarrels with his brother.
Since then, he has joined an opposition political party and become a vocal critic of the Singapore government, a role he “firmly intends” to continue while he is based in the UK, he said. he declared.
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Lee Hsien Loong served as the country's prime minister for 20 years until his resignation earlier this year.
Lee Hsien Yang and his wife, as well as one of their sons, have been living abroad in voluntary exile for several years. They have been the subject of government investigations and prosecutions, which they say is part of a pattern of persecution.
Like his late sister Lee Wei Ling, Mr Lee has long accused their brother Lee Hsien Loong of capitalizing on their father's legacy to build a political dynasty.
They also claimed their brother had abused his power while prime minister, and said they feared he would use the “organs of state” against them.
Lee Hsien Loong resigned as prime minister earlier this year and remains in the cabinet as senior minister. He and the Singapore government have categorically denied the claims.
On Tuesday, the government issued a statement saying allegations that Lee Hsien Yang and his family were victims of persecution were “baseless” and that they faced “no legal restrictions.”
“They are and have always been free to return to Singapore,” the statement added.
Lee Hsien Loong's press secretary said he had no comment.
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Lee Kuan Yew is considered one of the founding fathers of modern Singapore.
The years-long dispute between the Lees over their family home began with the death of Lee Kuan Yew, the country's first prime minister and widely considered the architect of modern Singapore.
It is centered on 38 Oxley Road, a small, nondescript house on a quiet street in downtown Singapore, estimated to be worth tens of millions of Singapore dollars.
The statesman, notoriously opposed to the idea of a personality cult built around him, had stated in his will that he wanted his house demolished either after his death or after his daughter had left the house.
Lee Hsien Loong, who was prime minister at the time, said the house would be preserved for the time being, while his siblings insisted it be demolished immediately, in line with their father's wishes.
Following the death of his sister earlier this month from a brain disease, Lee Hsien Yang requested that the house be demolished and, instead, a “small private dwelling” be built to belong to the Lee family.
