Bakery pulls Lee Kuan Yew bun after social media roasting

SINGAPORE (AP) — A bakery chain apologized for a bun commemorating Singapore's long-time leader Lee Kuan Yew and pulled it from stores after being accused of poor taste.

BreadTalk said on its Facebook page that its bun was intended to show respect for Lee but it now understands it was an insensitive way to remember his legacy.

The death of Lee at age 91 on Monday has been met with an outpouring of grief in Singapore. Lee was Singapore's prime minister for 31 years until 1990 and is regarded by Singaporeans as the architect of the city-state's economic success.

"We would like to convey our deepest apologies with regard to the commemorative bun," the company said in the Facebook post dated Wednesday.

The nondescript bun caused a wave of criticism on social media though also some came to BreadTalk's defense.

The company expected sales of the bun to total 30,000 Singapore dollars ($22,000) and said it will still donate that amount to charity.

Tens of thousands of Singaporeans are queuing for hours to pay respects to Lee before a state funeral on Sunday.