Lee returns to old lion's den

Lee returns to old lion's den

MALAYSIA: Modern Singapore's founding father will put his seal on
warmer relations with neighbor Malaysia this week when he makes
his first visit to the Malaysian capital since 2001, when ties
were badly frayed.

Lee Kuan Yew, who turned his tiny state into an economic force
after it split from Malaysia in 1965, is a controversial figure
among Malaysia's ethnic Malay majority, which feared at the time
his mainly ethnic Chinese political party might dominate.

Lee, 81, traveling to Kuala Lumpur to speak at an
anticorruption conference, is due to pay a courtesy call on
Tuesday on Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, whose
ascent to power 18 months ago marked a watershed in relations.

"This has nothing to do with bilateral matters," a Singapore
Embassy official said, explaining that Lee, now the country's
third-ranking minister as "minister mentor", was visiting merely
to gauge the new mood in Malaysia, not hold official talks. --
Reuters