Singapore PM falls ill during National Day rally

ANN pic

SINGAPORE - The National Day Rally on Sunday has been suspended after Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong took ill.

The medical team attending to him assessed that his condition is not serious.

Lee was in the midst of delivering his English speech when the rally was stopped at around 9.20pm.

"PM Lee says please enjoy the reception," Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean told the audience. He added that Mr Lee will resume his speech later, to applause from the audience.

Lee waved at the audience before he walked off the stage with the help of Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen and Acting Education Minister Ng Chee Meng.

Curtains were drawn and it was all silent in the auditorium.

In a statement on his Facebook page at 9.31pm, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said Lee "took ill while speaking at National Day Rally".

"The medical team is attending to him right now. They assess that his condition is not serious. PMO will update in due course," the post added.

A tweet on Lee's Twitter account said the rally would be taking a 30-minute break. Singapore Straits Times/Asian News Network