Friday March 13, 2009 (Taken from The Star Online)
Ananda, Kuok share top spot on rich list
They rank No. 62 with an estimated worth of US$7bil each
PETALING JAYA: T. Ananda Krishnan and Tan Sri Robert Kuok are jointly holding the crown as Malaysia’s richest people, with both ranking No. 62 on Forbes’ world billionaires list.
They have an estimated fortune of US$7bil each as at Feb 13.
Four other Malaysians in the billionaires’ club included Tan Sri Lee Shin Cheng (No. 234 at US$2.7bil), Tan Sri Teh Hong Piow (No. 261 at US$2.5bil), Tan Sri Quek Leng Chan (No. 376 at US$1.9bil) and Tan Sri Yeoh Tiong Lay and family (No. 397 at US$1.8bil).
Overall, the Malaysian billionaires’ net worth had dropped by US$7.8bil to US$22.9bil from a year ago.
Local billionaires on last year’s Forbes list who failed to make it to the 2009 list were Puan Sri Lee Kim Hua and family, Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Albukhary, Tan Sri Vincent Tan and Tan Sri Tiong Hiew King.
Ananda, 70, saw a decrease of only US$200mil in his fortune from last year. His holdings include Maxis Communications Bhd, Astro All Asia Networks, satellite company Measat and Tanjong Plc. Last year, he sold Excel, the exhibition venue in London’s Docklands, and bought a 20% stake in Johnston Press in London.
Kuok, 85, also known as “Sugar King” due to his sugar trading business, has lost US$3bil since the last ranking but has consistently maintained his top position.
His business interests range from shipping to palm oil, hotel and media. Hong Kong-listed Kerry Group Ltd, Singapore-based Wilmar International Ltd, hotel chain Shangri-La Asia Ltd and PPB Group Bhd are among the jewels in his business empire. He is now residing in Hong Kong.
Bill Gates, 53, of Microsoft regained his number one position from investor Warren Buffett, 78, as the richest person in the world.
Gates’ net worth fell by US$18bil to US$40bil, while Buffett lost US$25bil to US$37bil.
Mexican telecom tycoon Carlos Slim Helu maintained the third spot with US$35bil.
This year, the average net worth of the world’s billionaires has dropped by 23% to US$3bil.
The world now has 793 billionaires, down from 1,125 a year ago.
The Forbes survey showed that the collective wealth of the world’s billionaires was worth about US$2.4 trillion, down from US$4.4 trillion a year ago.
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