MM Lee apologises to Malaysia

This is definitely something you don't get to read everyday: The great Mentor Minister Lee Kuan Yew apologising! From thestar:

Singapore Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew has told Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi that he was sorry for the "discomfort" caused by comments he made about how Malaysia treats its minority Chinese.

Lee, who is the said after a decade of troubled relations with Abdullah's predecessor (Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad) it was the last thing he wanted.

"I am sorry that what I said has caused you a great deal of discomfort. After a decade of troubled relations with your predecessor, it is the last thing I wanted.

"I had no intention to meddle in your politics. Indeed, I do not have the power to influence Malaysia's politics or to incite the feelings of the Chinese in Malaysia,"he said in a letter dated Sept 29 forwarded to Abdullah's office in Putrajaya by Singapore High Commissioner T. Jasudasen yesterday.

And what does Malaysia have to say about the apology? From Reuters:

Malaysia's prime minister gave an icy response on Tuesday to an apology by former Singapore leader Lee Kuan Yew, who had upset the country by criticising its race relations.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said he had received Lee's written apology but declined to say whether he accepted it and instead repeated his objections to Lee's original comments...

"I have received the letter and I understand the contents," Abdullah told reporters at his office in the administrative capital of Putrajaya. "I have taken note of it.

"The statement by Lee Kuan Yew in Singapore is uncalled for and not appreciated ... I certainly reject the premise upon which he made the statement in Singapore. I believe such a statement cannot contribute to good neighbourly relations."

Don't think these two will be having coffee together anytime soon.