SINGAPORE - More than 11,000 condolence cards have been handed out to people paying tribute to the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew.

As of 5.30pm on Monday, 11,000 cards were issued to people waiting outside the Istana, and another 1,350 cards were handed out outside the Parliament House.

On Monday afternoon, crowds built up outside the Istana, waiting for Mr Lee's body to arrive. When the hearse pulled in to the Istana, the crowd broke into spontaneous applause and some shouted "Thank you Mr Lee Kuan Yew".

After the motorcade made its entrance, crowds lining the road started to disperse, but the line for tributes to Mr Lee continued to grow.

Ms P Pusparani, 57, a long-time resident of Tanjong Pagar where Mr Lee was MP since 1955, said: "When I saw the coffin, no words could express my grief. It's so sad just to think that it'll be the last time he enters the Istana."

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has declared a seven-day period of national mourning for Singapore's founding father.

There will be a private wake on Monday and Tuesday at Sri Temasek. On Monday, at least 1,200 people paid their respects to the late Mr Lee at the private wake.

A gun carriage will carry his coffin from Istana to Parliament House on Wednesday.

From Wednesday to Saturday, the body of the late Mr Lee will lie in state at Parliament House, where the public can pay their respects between 10am and 8pm daily.

A state funeral service for Mr Lee will be held at 2pm on Sunday, March 29, at the National University of Singapore's University Cultural Centre. The service will be attended by the late Mr Lee's family, friends and staff, President Tony Tan Keng Yam, Cabinet Ministers, Members of Parliament, and Mr Lee's fellow founding members of the ruling People's Action Party.

Senior civil servants, grassroots leaders and Singaporeans from all walks of life will also be attending the service, which will be followed by a private cremation at Mandai Crematorium.