Malaysian tycoon Vincent Tan confident owner will cooperate in selling temple land
03 December, 2018
Malaysian businessman Vincent Tan, who has initiated a fundraising campaign to buy the land on which the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple is located, is confident that the current owner of the land will fully cooperate with his efforts.
Tan said on Sunday (Dec 2) that he knows the chief executive officer of Ayala Corp, the ultimate owner of the land, describing him as a generous and respected person.
Tan also said that the donation campaign to buy the site of the Hindu temple had raised RM2 million as of Sunday.
“Ayala Corp is the largest and oldest company in the Philippines. The owner is a kind, respected person who loves doing charity work.
“Ayala Corp may give us big discounts. I believe the company will do something good for their business in Malaysia,” he told a news conference after visiting the temple.
Ayala Corp has a 66.25 per cent stake in Malaysian property company MCT Bhd, which owns One City Development, the developer at the centre of the saga.
Tensions over the relocation of the Hindu temple boiled over last week, triggering riots in the area of the house of worship.
During the riots, a firefighter was seriously injured, 23 vehicles set on fire, and windows of a nearby mall smashed.
To date, 58 individuals have been arrested in connection with the incidents.
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