Singaporeans pay tribute to late president Nathan

Singaporeans on Tuesday visited a memorial at the Istana Presidential Palace to pay tribute to the city state’s first elected president SR Nathan, who passed away on Monday at the age of 92, an epa journalist reports.

The politician, who was Singapore’s longestserving president and was in office from 1999 to 2011, passed away last night at Singapore General Hospital after suffering a stroke on July 31, according to the Straits Times newspaper.

Mourners at the memorial, which opened at 6am this morning, shed tears as they shared personal memories of the late politician and penned notes of tribute for a condolence board.

In a letter of condolence to Nathan’s widow, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong praised the late president for his “deep sense of duty to the nation” and “varied and stellar public service”, calling him “a true son of Singapore”.

Before his election as president, Nathan worked at the civil service, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Defense, before serving as a diplomat in Malaysia and the United States.

He was elected unopposed in August 1999 with support from the nation’s founding father and first Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, and served two terms as President before leaving office in 2011 at the age of 87.

The late president’s body will lie in state at Parliament House during Aug. 2526 and members of the public will be allowed to pay their respects on the first day, while diplomats and officials will be given access on the second day, according to a statement by the Prime Minister’s Office.

A state funeral will be held on Friday, followed by a private cremation ceremony.