Tiong: I never thought of selling Nanyang shares

MALACCA: Timber tycoon and media mogul Tan Sri Tiong Hiew King, who owns Sin Chew Daily, Guang Ming Daily and 21.02% of Nanyang Press Holdings Bhd (NPHB), has never thought of selling his NPHB shares. 

The Sarawak businessman said he only “read from the newspapers that someone is offering to buy Nanyang” but he had not thought about selling.  

He was speaking to reporters after visiting the Malacca Chong Clan Association with 45 clansmen from Sarawak, Sabah, Penang and Johor.  

To a question whether the offer by fellow Sarawakian Lau Swee Nguong to buy his Nanyang shares was genuine as no offer price was disclosed, Tiong replied: “That you have to ask him.” 

Lau, 81, who is KTS Group chairman, was reported to have said that he was making the offer in his personal capacity to ensure the healthy advancement of the Chinese media’s future development.  

Lau is the chairman of the Sibu-based KTS Group, which owns the Oriental Daily News and Sarawak-based See Hua Daily News (both Chinese newspapers), The Borneo Post (English newspaper) and Utusan Borneo (Malay newspaper). Lau had said his offer was also open to other shareholders of NPHB, including Huaren Holdings Bhd, the investment arm of the MCA. 

MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting had said that he would leave it to Huaren to handle the proposal by Lau.