From 2003 to 2009, he brought a quiet style of leadership to his Southeast Asian nation after the strongman rule of Mahathir Mohamad.
Tag: Deaths (Obituaries)
Mario Vargas Llosa, Nobel-Winning Peruvian Novelist, Dies at 89
Mr. Vargas Llosa, who ran for Peru’s presidency in 1990 and won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2010, transformed episodes from his personal life into books that reverberated far beyond the borders of his native country.
Irmgard Furchner, Secretary at a Hub of Nazi Atrocities, Dies at 99
Her work for the commandant of a concentration camp in German-occupied Poland led to her conviction as an accessory to more than 10,000 murders.
Fridrik Olafsson, Grandmaster Who Led Iceland’s Rise in Chess, Dies at 90
At a time before his country became a chess powerhouse, he defeated four world champions, including Bobby Fischer and another in an unlikely turn of events.
Kim Shin-jo, North Korean Commando Who Sought to Kill South Korea’s Leader, Dies
He famously said the mission of a hit squad sent by Pyongyang in 1968 was to “slit the throat” of the South Korean dictator Park Chung-hee.
Amadou Bagayoko, Half of Malian Duo Who Went Global, Dies at 70
As Amadou & Mariam, he and his wife were improbable pop stars on two counts. Their style was venturesome and eclectic, and they were blind virtuosos.
Richard Bernstein Dies at 80; Times Correspondent, Critic and Author
He wrote from Europe and Asia, served as a book critic and produced a raft of books, on subjects ranging from the French condition to multiculturalism.
Betty Webb, Who Helped Bletchley Park Code Breakers, Dies at 101
Sworn to secrecy about the goings-on at Britain’s storied World War II decryption operation, she only later recounted the efforts to crack German signals.
Gananath Obeyesekere, 95, Dies; Anthropologist Bridged East and West
His wide-ranging work drew on field research in his native Sri Lanka as well as his extensive study of English literature and Christian mysticism.
Oleg Gordievsky, K.G.B. Officer Turned Double Agent, Dies at 86
While climbing the ranks of the Soviet spy agency, he spent more than a decade working for British intelligence as one of its most highly placed moles.