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Singapore's first Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew attends the Standard Chartered Singapore Forum in Singapore on March 20, 2013
Wong Maye-E — AP

Singaporean officials confirmed on Thursday that the country’s founding Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew, remains on life support in an intensive care unit.

The Prime Minister’s office released a statement clarifying Lee’s condition, after rumors swirled earlier this week that the 91-year-old former head of government had died.

“Mr Lee Kuan Yew is still warded in ICU at Singapore General Hospital. He remains sedated and on mechanical ventilation,” read the statement. “His doctors have restarted him on antibiotics, and are continuing to monitor him closely.”

Lee, who is largely credited with creating the conditions that allowed the former British colony to transform into a thriving international business hub, was first admitted to Singapore’s General Hospital on Feb. 5 after succumbing to severe pneumonia.

According to an earlier statement, Lee was both “conscious and lightly sedated” over the weekend.

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