Singapore founding father Lee critically ill

Singapore's 'founding father' Lee Kuan Yew is critically ill in hospital, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said this morning.

Lee, 91, the island state's first and longest serving prime minister, has been hospitalised in the Singapore General Hospital since Feb 5, when he was admitted for severe pneumonia, and is now in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

The politician oversaw Singapore's separation from Malaysia and guided it to prosperity. He led the country for three decades since June 1959.

Concerns rose on Wednesday after news broke that Lee was critically ill and that his condition had deteriorated further, reports The Straits Times.

On Wednesday night, screenshots were circulated of a fake website bearing the PMO logo and announcing his death. The PMO said it was lodging a police report about the hoax website. Police said they are looking into the matter.

The hoax led some foreign outlets, including CNN and China's CCTV, Sina and Phoenix Chinese News to report that Lee had died, only to retract the reports later. CNN Breaking News said in a tweet shortly after 10:00pm that Lee had died, citing a "government website". But 10 minutes later, it tweeted: "Reports emerge that statement attributed to Singapore government about Lee Kuan Yew may not be official." Sina and Phoenix apologised for the mistake.

Lee was visited on Wednesday by family members and relatives, including his eldest child, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, 63, and grandson Lee Yipeng, 32.

In a Facebook post early Thursday morning, PM Lee's wife, Ho Ching, expressed hope that the fake news would be cleared and thanked everyone for their prayers.

Lee's worsening health was first announced on Tuesday, when the PMO said he had an infection and was being treated with antibiotics. It said doctors were monitoring his condition. On February 28, the PMO said his condition had improved slightly, and he remained on antibiotics. It also said he continued to be sedated and on mechanical ventilation. 

*With info from The Straits Times