SINGAPORE - Mr Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's first Prime Minister, will embark on his final journey through Singapore on Sunday, March 29.
The cortege will wind its way pass significant national landmarks like the City Hall, NTUC Centre, the Singapore Conference Hall and Marina Barrage, go through Queenstown, Singapore's oldest housing estate, and through Clementi for the funeral service at the University Cultural Centre (UCC).
His coffin will leave Parliament House, where he has been lying in state since March 25, at 12.30pm. A gun carriage will convey it to UCC by 1.40pm, and the funeral service is to last from 2pm till 5.15pm. His body will then be taken to Mandai Crematorium for a private cremation.
The funeral procession will travel 15.4km.
For members of the public who wish to send Mr Lee off, here is what to expect:
Parliament House to St Andrew's Road
The funeral procession will start at 12.30pm and travel the length of the Padang. This stretch of the route is expected to be the most crowded.
- The cortege will be led by four guard-of-honour contingents from the Singapore Armed Forces and the Singapore Police Force.
- As the gun carriage leaves the Parliament driveway, 48 men from the SAF and SPF in ceremonial military trucks will escort it.
- As the procession turns into Parliament Place, the first round of a 21-gun salute will be fired from four ceremonial howitzers on the Padang.
- Students and military personnel will line the streets along Parliament Place, St Andrew's Road, Stamford Road and Esplanade Drive.
City Hall to Cantonment Road
Some areas to observe the procession are roads near Raffles Quay, outside the NTUC building at One Marina Boulevard and Singapore Conference Hall.
- At City Hall, the Republic of Singapore Air force's Black Knights will fly a Missing Man Formation as an aerial salute to Mr Lee.
- The procession will pass by St Andrew's Cathedral along St Andrew's Road. The church will be holding regular church services, and the two gates at St Andrew's Road will be closed. The public can enter church premises from North Bridge Road, but will not be able to access St Andrew's Road from the church grounds.
- As the cortege crosses the Esplanade Bridge, two Navy vessels, the RSS Dauntless and RSS Resilience, will do a sail past. Flying the state flag at half-mast, they will also hoist a black flag used for mourning with signals flags representing the letters L, K, and Y. As the procession passes the Padang, the ships will sound three prolonged horn blasts of 10 seconds each.
- The 21st volley of the gun salute will be fired as the procession travels out of sight of Padang.
- At the NTUC Centre, NTUC staff, union members and their families who want to send Mr Lee off will be gathering. They have prepared refreshments and will be distributing Singapore flags. Their Tribute Centre will open on Sunday from 8am.
Tanjong Pagar to Jalan Bukit Merah
The procession will then turn into Mr Lee's constituency Tanjong Pagar from around 1pm. It will pass Cantonment Road opposite the Tanjong Pagar Community Club and also pass the award-winning housing project The Pinnacle@Duxton.
- The sky garden located on the 50th floor of The Pinnacle@Duxton will be open to the public from 9am to 10pm. The other sky garden on the 26th floor is exclusive to residents. Both, however, are expected to be too high a vantage point to view the procession from. For safety reasons, only 1,000 people will be allowed on either skybridge at any one point.
- About 100 volunteers and staff from the Tanjong Pagar CC will be distributing state flags along Cantonment Road.
- Members of the public are expected to camp overnight along Cantonment Road.
"We are expecting a big crowd and strongly advise those with physical mobility problems to watch the telecast from home," said Tanjong Pagar CC management committee chairman Lim Cheng Kheng.
Jalan Bukit Merah to Queensway
The cortege is expected to reach Bukit Merah at around 1.15pm.
- Those living along Jalan Bukit Merah, part of Queensway, Commonwealth Avenue and Commonwealth Avenue West, can observe the procession from their blocks.
- Overhead bridges along the route will not be open to public for security reasons.
- Overhead bridges linked to MRT stations (such as Commonwealth Station) will not be closed, but the public are advised not to linger there.
Commonwealth Avenue West to University Culture Centre
The cortege is expected to arrive here at 1.40pm, and will be received by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and family members, and 16 pall bearers.
- The University Cultural Centre will be closed to the public.
- Members of the public hoping to get a vantage point from Singapore Polytechnic along Commonwealth Avenue West can do so after noon.
- Security is expected to be very tight at the National University of Singapore campus grounds, so the public is also advised against making their way there.
- National University of Singapore students are planning to be at the stretch between Clementi Road and Dover MRT station at about 11.30am.
Watch the funeral service after the procession
Members of the public can watch the procession and State funeral at all community centres and clubs, as well as at all community tribute sites.
There are five CCs close to the procession route for those who want to line the route and also catch the funeral immediately after.
These are: Tanjong Pagar CC, Bukit Merah CC, Queenstown CC, Buona Vista CC and Ulu Pandan CC.
A minute of silence
The SCDF Public Warning System siren will be sounded twice islandwide at about 4pm to signal the start and end of a minute of silence for Mr Lee.
The Rouse, a bugle call that symbolises a callback to duty, will then be sounded, and all citizens are encouraged to join in to recite the Pledge and sing the National Anthem.
The casket will then be marched out of UCC Hall and make its way to Mandai Crematorium for a private cremation service.
Road closures
Several roads will be closed for the state funeral procession and service.
- 11.30am to 2pm: Upper Circular Road and Supreme Court Lane, and sections of North Bridge Road, High Street, Parliament Place, St Andrew's Road, Coleman Street, Fullerton Road, Stamford Road, Esplanade Drive and Nicoll Highway
- 11.30am to 3pm: Connaught Drive
- 12pm to 3pm: The stretch of Clementi Road between Dover Road and Kent Ridge Crescent
Traffic is also expected to be heavy along the procession route from 12.30pm to 2pm.
As the procession makes its way from UCC to Mandai Crematorium, traffic is expected to be heavy along the following roads from around 4pm to 6pm: Clementi Road, Commonwealth Ave West, Commonwealth Ave, Queensway, Farrer Road, Adam Road, Lornie Road, Upper Thomson Road, Sembawang Road, Mandai Avenue.
Police officers will be stationed at all affected road junctions to direct traffic.
Safety tips
- During the procession, members of the public are advised to stay on the public footpaths for their own safety.
- They should refrain from throwing objects and should not operate drones when the carriage passes, as this may disrupt the movement of the carriage.
Send us your photos
Where are you and what do you see? Take a photo and share it with us on this day as Mr Lee Kuan Yew takes his final journey.
