Chinese media tycoon Tiong Hiew King's stake in rival media group Nanyang Press Holdings Bhd is on the increase, sparking concern among media activists over his vision of developing a 'global Chinese media network'.

The latest Nanyang Press annual report showed that Tiong's Tiong Toh Siong Holdings Sdn Bhd and Permandangan Sinar Sdn Bhd have been listed as the 10th and 14th-largest shareholders.

(Permandangan Sinar has since been renamed as Sin Chew Media Corporation in September after a public listing exercise.)

As they hold 1.10 and 0.31 percent of shares respectively, Tiong effectively controls at least 1.41 percent of Nanyang shares. The annual report, released on Nov 17, was published on the Bursa Malaysia website.

Sin Chew is the publisher of two major Chinese dailies Sin Chew Daily and Guang Ming Daily while Tiong Toh Siong Holdings is a Sarawak-based timer exporter owned by the media tycoon's family.

Tiong was first listed as one of the largest shareholders in Nanyang in 2002 when he took control of a total of 0.56 percent of the shares. Sin Chew (0.30 percent) was listed at 12th and Tiong Toh Siong Sdn Bhd (0.26 percent) was the 13th-largest shareholder.

Last year, Tiong Toh Siong Sdn Bhd rose to become the tenth largest shareholder with its 0.86 percent shares in Nanyang while Sin Chew slightly increased its stake to 0.31 percent and was listed as the 14th largest shareholder.

Tiong's proxy?

The latest annual report also named low-profile businessman Mah Keng Hock's New Paragon Limited as the second-largest shareholder with a total stake of 23.79 percent.

Ever since Mah bought the shares in August 2002 , speculation had been rife that he was acting as a proxy for Tiong, who wished to avoid a public outcry against Sin Chew's potential monopoly of the Chinese newspaper market.

Sin Chew was rumoured to have been working with MCA in the party's acquisition of Nanyang Press - publisher of Nanyang Siang Pau and China Press - in May 2001. This was denied at the time.

The largest shareholder in Nanyang Press remains MCA's investment arm Huaren Management Sdn Bhd, which now has a 41.98 percent stake.

Tiong, a close associate of former MCA president Dr Ling Liong Sik, has been said to have harboured ambitions of taking over Nanyang Press to fulfill his vision of developing a 'global Chinese media network'.

Party-press link

In September this year, Sin Chew management denied the company has any influence over Nanyang's management and editorial policy despite its stake in the rival press.

Commenting on this, Writers Alliance for Media Independence (Wami) spokesperson Josh Hong said Wami is concerned about the association of political parties with newspapers.

"The latest development shows that Tiong's agenda in realising this Chinese media monopoly is inching closer," he said when contacted.

Wami was formed in protest by a group of writers and columnists after the MCA took over Nanyang. The group previously contributed to four major Chinese dailies.

Most of them are now writing for the newest Chinese paper launched in 2002, the Oriental Daily News.

Oriental Daily is published by the KTS Group, owned by Tiong's business rival, Sarawakian timber tycoon Lau Hui Kang.