SINGAPORE — While millions in Singapore watched the funeral procession and State Funeral Service for Mr Lee Kuan Yew yesterday (March 29), thousands of others around the world also observed the proceedings via live streaming on the Internet, including in China, Japan and Malaysia.

In Beijing, more than 300 people gathered at a hotel ballroom to watch the live broadcast of the funeral, while in Shanghai, about 900 people turned up at an event organised by the Shanghai Singapore Business Association (SSBA) and the Consulate of Singapore there. It was held at the Pudong Shangri-La hotel.

Mr Mark Ng, 32, a Singaporean video editor who has been living in Shanghai for 1.5 years, said: “It’s the least that we can do being so far away from home.”

The crowd watching the live telecast in Shanghai immediately stood up when the casket carrying Mr Lee’s body was carried into the University Cultural Centre. They clapped loudly when Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong gave his eulogy, and some teared when he choked back tears.

Mr Selwyn Low, 32, an advertising executive, said: “ It’s on a day like this I wish to feel closer to home.”

Nearer home, more than 100 people gathered at the Singapore High Commission in Kuala Lumpur to watch the telecast of the State Funeral.

Ms Catherine Winifred, a Singaporean living in Malaysia, said: “It does make me feel really proud because I don’t think there are many world leaders who can have a whole nation mourn for them when they go.”

In Bangkok, more than 200 people were at the Singapore Embassy to watch the state funeral.

“We’ve had Singaporeans taking a nine-hour bus ride from Chiang Mai to come and sign book,” said Singapore Ambassador to Thailand Chua Siew San. “People flew in from other provinces also - all unanimously said this was the least they could do for what Mr Lee has given us.”

The Singapore embassies in Tokyo and Manila also held a live telecast of the funeral. In Myanmar, the Singapore Embassy and the Singapore Association of Myanmar organised a memorial event in Yangon to mark Mr Lee’s passing.

In Bhutan, its national flag was lowered to half-mast as a mark of respect for Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s state funeral.

Meanwhile, in Vancouver, about 140 Singaporeans living there attended an unofficial memorial event for Mr Lee. It was organised by Singaporean Ciel Liu Bei, who said she decided to do so after finding out that the Singapore Consulate General in Canada, and Vancouver Singapore Club were not holding a memorial.

During the three hour-long memorial, videos were screened about Mr Lee’s life as well as reports of what had been happening in the last few days from Singapore, followed by a one-minute of silence in his memory. GENEVIEVE LOH IN SHANGHAI, CHANNEL NEWSASIA