Rimbunan Hijau Group founder Tan Sri Tiong Hiew King, 90, was buried at Tiong’s Memorial Park in Sibu after final prayers at Xin Fu Yuan Methodist Church.
SIBU: Timber and media tycoon Tan Sri Tiong Hiew King was laid to rest at Tiong’s Memorial Park here today at approximately 12.30pm.
The 90-year-old founder and executive chairman of Rimbunan Hijau Group passed away on Tuesday.
Approximately 1,000 people gathered at his Jalan Brooke Drive residence as early as 6.00am to pay their final respects.
Mourners included media practitioners, family members, business associates and group employees.
The coffin was carried into a hearse at 7.48am and paraded past RH Hotel in the city centre.
The procession stopped at Xin Fu Yuan Methodist Church for final prayers before continuing to the memorial park.
The funeral procession also passed Menara Rimbunan Hijau on Jalan Lanang en route to the burial site.
Tiong was born in Sibu in 1935 and received his early education at local schools including Chung Cheng Primary School.
He attended Methodist Secondary School and Sacred Heart Secondary School for his secondary education.
His timber industry career began at his uncle’s logging company before founding Rimbunan Hijau Group with siblings in 1975.
The company grew from humble beginnings into a multinational corporation with diverse business interests.
Beyond timber export and processing, the group expanded into media, publishing and agriculture.
Other ventures included palm oil plantations, oil and gas, mining and aquaculture operations.
The conglomerate also entered reforestation, finance, information technology, trading and property development.
Tiong received the Malaysian Business Leadership Award Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010.
The Kuala Lumpur Malay Chamber of Commerce recognized his entrepreneurial contributions to Malaysia.
Four publicly listed companies operate under the Rimbunan Hijau Group in Malaysia.
These include Subur Tiasa Holdings Bhd, Jaya Tiasa Holdings Bhd, Rimbunan Sawit Bhd and Media Chinese International Ltd.
Forbes estimated Tiong’s net worth at US$820 million, ranking him 25th among Malaysia’s 50 richest people. – Bernama
