FILE - In this April 27, 2011 file photo, Singapore's Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew waves to supporters as he arrives at an elections nomination center in Singapore. A statement from the Prime Minister's Office says the 89-year-old Lee was admitted to Singapore General Hospital on Friday, FEB. 15, 2013, after experiencing a suspected transient ischaemic attack, which occurs when blood flow to the brain stops for a period of time. The condition is associated with irregular heartbeats. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E, File)
Former Singapore PM Lee Kuan Yew hospitalized
FILE - In this April 27, 2011 file photo, Singapore's Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew waves to supporters as he arrives at an elections nomination center in Singapore. A statement from the Prime Minister's Office says the 89-year-old Lee was admitted to Singapore General Hospital on Friday, FEB. 15, 2013, after experiencing a suspected transient ischaemic attack, which occurs when blood flow to the brain stops for a period of time. The condition is associated with irregular heartbeats. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E, File)
AP /
February 16, 2013
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SINGAPORE (AP) — Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s first prime minister, has been hospitalized following a brain-related blockage.
A statement from the Prime Minister’s Office says the 89-year-old Lee was admitted to Singapore General Hospital on Friday after experiencing a suspected transient ischaemic attack, which occurs when blood flow to the brain stops for a period of time. The condition is associated with irregular heartbeats.
The statement says Lee is recovering but will remain in the hospital for a few days.
Lee became prime minister in 1959 and saw the country through self-rule under the British, a two-year federation with Malaysia and independence in 1965. He remained in office until 1990, overseeing a period of rapid development that turned Singapore into a darling of foreign investors.
Lee’s son Lee Hsien Loong is the current prime minister.
© Copyright 2013 Globe Newspaper Company.
