Taman Manggis turning into ‘high risk investment’

THE controversy surrounding Taman Manggis has become a thorny problem for businesses seeking loans, reports Nanyang Siang Pau.

Kuala Lumpur International Dental Centre (KLIDC) major shareholder Datuk Dr Tan Yong Chew said that since the controversy was highlighted daily in the press, the 0.45ha plot of land has become a “high risk investment” in the eyes of bankers.

And as such, loan applications were being rejected.

According to the article, when Dr Tan became one of the shareholders of KLIDC, he wanted to replicate the success of the company’s dental healthcare centre at Jalan Yap Kwan Seng.

He said that the Penang government had expressed interest in promoting health tourism and there was news of an open tender for the Taman Manggis land.

Little did Dr Tan know that he would end up in this problematic situation after tendering for the piece of land. He is neither able to move forward with his plans nor turn back.

The self-proclaimed businessman believes that health tourism has great potential, and 70% of the opportunities lie in Penang. This was his biggest motivation in tendering for the land.

However, this development project has since been linked to a number of controversies and sparked debates.

The daily contacted Dr Tan via a special arrangement. This is the first time he is speaking publicly on the issue.

> Award-winning Malaysian actress and singer Lee Sinje is set to make her first public appearance in Kuala Lumpur on April 23 since she announced that she was pregnant with twins, China Press reported.

The daily said Lee, who is one of the founders of Little Yellow Flower Foundation, would appear at a function to thank donors who helped raise funds for poor children.

The foundation was set up in 2007 by international artistes Valen Hsu, Gigi Leung, Charlie Yeung and Lee.

> Sin Chew Daily reported Hong Kong singer-actor Leon Lai admitting that he had a crush on Hong Kong artiste Maggie Cheung Man-yuk years ago.

The 49-year-old actor disclosed this in a recent television show.

Lai said he stuck a photo of Cheung on his computer when he was a student.

The daily reported that Lai and the 51-yearold actress acted as a couple in Hong Kong famous movie, Comrades: Almost a Love Story, in 1996.

Leon married Hong Kong model Gaile Lok in 2008 but divorced four years later.