KUCHING: The family of Sibu-born timber and publishing tycoon Tan Sri Tiong Hiew King has steered clear of the rumours surrounding his health, saying that he is "okay".
Hiew King’s younger brother, Datuk Tiong Thai King when contacted, neither confirmed nor denied the rumours that the former had been admitted to a hospital in Singapore recently after suffering from a stroke.
“He is okay,” said the Dudong state assemblyman repeatedly.
When asked if his brother was still in Singapore, Thai King, who was the former Lanang Member of Parliament, answered “yes” but declined to elaborate.
He later questioned about the origin of the rumours.
When asked to confirm on the veracity of the rumours, Thai King maintained that his billonaire brother was “okay”.
It was learned that Hiew King, 82, who is the founder and executive chairman of the Rimbunan Hijau Group, has been admitted to a hospital in Singapore recently.
Rumours that Hiew King, who is also the Media Chinese International Limited Group (MCIL) executive chairman, suffered from stroke however could not be confirmed.
Over the years, Rimbunan Hijau has grown from merely small timber company to a major conglomerate in the media, property, trading, tourism, hotel, petrol and retail businesses sectors.
Hiew King was also named one of the Forbes’ Malaysia’s Richest Tycoon in the year 2014.
News about him suffering from stroke has been circulating among the business community in Sarawak over the past few days.