Getty ImagesThe son of the founder of modern Singapore has been granted asylum in the UK after being persecuted during a high-profile family feud.
Lee Hsien Yang has long claimed that he faces oppression at home by the Singaporean government led by his brother Lee Hsien Loong for 20 years.
The government denies these claims and says he is free to return.
Both are sons of revered leader Lee Kuan Yew, who died in 2015. Argument over father’s housethis has evolved into a vicious public family fight.
Lee Hsien Yang showed documents to the BBC, including a letter indicating his asylum application had been successful. The letter also stated that the British government had granted him “refugee status” for five years because it recognized that he had “well-founded fears of persecution and therefore was unable to return to his native Singapore.”
Mr Li, who lives in London, said his wife had also been granted asylum.
A Home Office spokesman said it was “the government’s long-standing policy not to comment on individual cases”.
The BBC has independently confirmed Mr Lee’s asylum status but gave no other details.
Mr Lee said: “Everything the Singapore government has said is completely open and has certainly been taken into consideration when granting refugee status.”
“I seek asylum protection as a last resort. I remain a Singapore citizen and hope to return home safely one day.”
A member of what is considered Singapore’s “first family” and the former chief executive of Singapore’s largest telecommunications company, Mr Lee was very much part of the country’s establishment until he fell out with his brother.
Since then, he said, he has joined an opposition party and become an outspoken critic of the Singaporean government, a role he “fully intends” to continue while in the UK.
Getty ImagesLee Hsien Yang, his wife and one of their sons have been in self-imposed exile abroad for many years. They are subject to government investigations and legal proceedings that they say are part of a pattern of persecution.
Mr Lee and his late sister Lee Wei Ling have long accused their brother Lee Hsien Loong of using their father’s legacy to build a political dynasty.
They also accused their brother of abusing his power during his tenure as prime minister and said they feared he was using “state institutions” against them.
Lee Hsien Loong Resigned as prime minister earlier this year and remained in the cabinet as a senior minister. He and the Singapore government strenuously deny such claims.
On Tuesday, the government issued a statement saying accusations that Mr Lee Hsien Yang and his family were victims of persecution were “baseless” and that they were “not subject to any legal restrictions”.
“They are and have been free to return to Singapore,” the statement added.
Lee Hsien Loong’s press secretary declined to comment.
Getty ImagesThe Lee family’s years-long dispute over their family home began after the death of Lee Kuan Yew, the country’s first prime minister and widely regarded as the architect of modern Singapore.
It centers around 38 Oxley Road, a small, unassuming house on a quiet street in the heart of Singapore, estimated to be worth tens of millions of Singapore dollars.
The politician, who famously opposed the idea of building a cult of personality around him, said in his will that he wanted his house to be demolished after his death or after his daughter moved out.
Then-Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said the house would remain in place for the time being, while his siblings insisted on its immediate demolition in compliance with their father’s wishes.
Following the death of Lee Hsien Yang’s sister from a brain disease earlier this month, Lee Hsien Yang has now applied to demolish the house and build a “small private residence” in its place to be owned by the Lee family.
