DISNEYLAND Malaysia?

[pedang]

let's join rakancop

[travellator]

Malaysia builder says talks to Disney on theme park
Tue Jun 20, 2006 5:12 AM ET

By Syed Azman

KUALA LUMPUR, June 20 (Reuters) - Malaysian construction firm UEM World <UEMW.KL> is in talks with more than four theme-park operators, including Disney <DIS.N>, about a proposal to build a major attraction in southern Malaysia, the firm said on Tuesday.

"We are talking to various parties. That process takes time. It takes many parties to agree. We have begun to create interest with many parties but it's still a long way to go," Chief Executive Ahmad Pardas Senin told reporters after the company's annual shareholders' meeting.

He said the parties include the Disney entertainment giant and Tokyo Disneyland's operator, Oriental Land Co Ltd <4661.T>.

Last month, Disney denied it was involved in talks about a theme park in southern Johor state and said it had no plans for a Disney-branded resort development in Malaysia.

A spokesman for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts also said at the time that Oriental Land had no role in evaluating or negotiating other opportunities for Disney outside Japan.

Asked to comment on Disney's denial, Ahmad Pardas said: "I talk to you, but you can deny that you are talking to me. I am confirming that I am talking, but they are denying, fine they are entitled to deny."

Shares of UEM World rose as much as 6.9 percent after the news, brokers said. The stock was up 4.1 percent at 1.51 ringgit by 0840 GMT.

UEM World, with the backing of the government, is interested in developing a theme park on land the firm owns in Johor state, on the other side of the thin strait that separates peninsular Malaysia from the island state of Singapore.

The idea is part of a state-sponsored scheme to develop Johor, which has the strategic advantage of sitting close to one of Southeast Asia's biggest tourism hubs.

Johor is a focus of Malaysia's five-year development plan for 2006-2010. The government wants to beautify the waterfront around Johor Baru, the state capital, and clean up its image among Singaporeans as a cheap-shopping destination dogged by crime.

With Singapore looking to boost its tourism industry with the development of two big casinos over the next 3-4 years, Malaysia is keen to draw many of these extra visitors to Johor.

Singapore aims to double visitor arrivals to 17 million and triple tourism receipts to S$30 billion ($18.8 billion) by 2015, helped by the casinos and other attractions. (Additional reporting by Mia Shanley in Singapore)

[travellator]

UEM World In Talks With Four Theme Park Operators
Business
June 20, 2006 15:37 PM
KUALA LUMPUR, June 20 (Bernama) -- UEM World Bhd is in talks with more than four theme park operators for the building of a theme park at its Nusajaya property development project in Johor, its managing director and chief executive officer, Datuk Ahmad Pardas Senin, said.

Speaking to reporters after UEM World's annual general meeting here today, he said discussions were ongoing and that an announcement would be made once the agreements are concluded.

"We have talked with various parties at different levels of management, but it will take a long time to conclude as it will take many parties to agree," he said when responding to a question on whether the company has talked with Walt Disney Co.

Disney recently denied a report that it has plans to build a theme park at Bandar Nusajaya. Its announcement came on the back of earlier reports that Malaysian government officials and representative from UEM World were in talks with Japan's Oriental Land, Disney's partner in Tokyo Disneyland, to set up a theme park.

Asked on the value of the project, Ahmad Pardas said: "It is difficult to reveal the value as it depends on the size, but the development of the theme park will normally occupy 400 acres of land."

On the proposed development of the second Penang Bridge, he said UEM World was confident of getting the contract based on its track record and experience.

Its 100 percent owned subsidiary, UEM Land Sdn Bhd is the concession owner of the first Penang Bridge.

"We have written to the government to be considered for the job and we are still waiting for the answer."

On other developments, Ahmad Pardas said that UEM World will continue its discussion with French cement maker, VICAT SA on the proposed acquisition of a stake in Cement Industries of Malaysia Bhd.

The offer on the stake lapsed on June 1.

UEM World has 53.6 percent stake in Cement Industries.

"Technically the offer has lapsed, but we are still talking to them, trying to find ways that will be acceptable to both parties," he said.

A conglomerate, UEM World currently has more than 20 major operating companies, including four public listed companies, with shareholders' funds standing at RM1.1 billion.

-- BERNAMA

[szehoong]

Malaysia Disneyland rumors pure Mickey Mouse



By Gary LaMoshi


HONG KONG - Malaysian property developer UEM World is the billion-dollar conglomerate you probably never heard of until it invoked Mickey Mouse.

For the past month, UEM World, with the connivance and encouragement of its shareholder the Malaysian government, has claimed that it's in talks with US entertainment giant Disney to build a theme park in the southern province of Johor. And UEM hasn't let Disney's denials deter it.

This Disney fantasy starts with Bandar Nusajaya, a new town UEM World is building in Johor, just across the strait from Singapore, on the outskirts of Johor Baru, Malaysia's second-largest city. The master plan for Bandar Nusajaya envisages600,000 people living within the 10,930-hectare city by 2020.

"This development has been acknowledged by the Johor state government as an opportunity to plan a city for the 21st century, based on sound social and environmental principles," according to Nusajaya.net. The state government is so hot on the idea that it plans to build a new administrative center on some of Bandar Nusajaya's prime waterfront real estate.

"As a place to live and work," the website continues, "Bandar Nusajaya's role is to be the model for Malaysian cities to come." It's already a model for Malaysia's special brand of corporate-government hype.



Right fish, wrong pier

The official Bernama news agency reports that Malaysian officials and UEM are in talks with Disney about building a theme park in Bandar Nusajaya. The interest began when Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi and Disney officials attended the same information-technology conference in the United States. From that seed, a delegation of Malaysian government and business people went on to pursue the matter.

The first hint that something might be fishy was that they went to pursue Disney in Japan rather than in the US.

The delegates met with Oriental Land, operator of Disney's Japan theme parks in Chiba prefecture, outside Tokyo. That's a perfectly reasonable strategy for Malaysia, if it's serious about getting a Disney park in Johor. Oriental Land's Disneyland and DisneySea parks have been successful, and Malaysia would be smart to use that operator's experience and expertise.

But headlines stating that Malaysia is "in talks with Disney" ignore a key fact: Disney denies it.

"We are constantly exploring opportunities around the world as we look to grow our Parks and Resorts business," said Lisa Haines, Disney Parks and Resorts vice president. "At this time, however, there are no existing discussions in Malaysia and we currently have no plans for a Disney-branded resort development in that country. Oriental Land Co, which owns and operates Tokyo Disney Resort as our licensee, is a valued partner; however, they have no role in evaluating or negotiating other opportunities for Disney outside of Japan."

UEM has continued pumping up hopes for the deal. "We are talking to more than four parties, including the big one" that speculation is focusing on, UEM World chief executive Ahmad Pardas Senin told a Malaysian newspaper last week. Reports helpfully added "Disney" in parentheses after the quote.

Asked to elaborate on whether UEM World was talking to Oriental Land or Disney itself, Senin said, "You start by talking with the party closest to you and then move to the epicenter." But that hedge didn't change the headlines, or dim UEM World's hope that it might enjoy the higher demand and prices for its land that even speculation about a Disney park brings.




Intriguing possibilities

Media criticism aside, the question is whether there's a realistic chance that Disney would build a theme park in Johor.

The Greater Singapore market of nearly 5 million, including Johor, has intrigued Disney in the past and there's potentially attractive synergy with Singapore's coming casino developments, projected to increase annual tourist visits to 15 million. UEM World would offer free land and more to Disney, and Oriental Land could help ensure that the project meets Disney's specifications. But for the moment, Malaysia Disneyland is likely as attractive to Disney as producing "Mickey and Donald's Male Tails" as an X-rated cartoon.

While Disney has no presence in Southeast Asia, it's now in Hong Kong as well as Japan. A major portion of the Disneyland mystique comes from scarcity, and Disney is increasingly trying to leverage its parks and resorts into one-stop tourist destinations. A Malaysian park would definitely take business from Hong Kong and tarnish the brand's exclusivity. (For the same reasons, be very skeptical about rumors of a Disney park in Shanghai.) EuroDisney's woes, as well as the Hong Kong park's teething problems, have taught Disney that overseas gravy can have lumps.

A theme park in the China market, on extraordinarily sweet terms (see Hong Kong a roller coaster for Disney, January 6), helps Disney with its overall product portfolio, especially mass media. A genuine Chinese Mickey, Buzz and the gang are sure to boost interest in the television and movie franchises. Even though piracy is rampant in Asia, Disney sees that as a temporary annoyance (at least that's the company line) and a sign of demand that it can eventually hope to meet profitably. A park in Johor doesn't offer the same kind of synergy, particularly when you consider how much Southeast Asian money already carries a Chinese flavor.





Minnie under wraps

Of course, as the world's most progressive Islamic democracy, Malaysia could potentially open up another under-exploited market for Disney. The other side of that coin is that Malaysia could open a vast can of worms if the opposition Parti Islam SeMalaysia (Islamic Party of Malaysia or PAS) managed to get elected and imposes Islamic law in Johor or nationally. The political specter, however unlikely, of guests being turned away or arrested because of uncovered knees or gender segregation in the park could be enough to persuade Disney to dismiss the idea. If Disney decides it's ready for Minnie and Daisy to don the hijab, then there's likely a more advanced plan with an even sweeter deal available for the asking in Dubai.

While the chances of Malaysia becoming a strict Islamic state any time soon are remote, politics there can't give Disney great comfort. On the one hand, Malaysia is a democracy, and opposition parties can win elections, at least locally. On the other hand, it's a still a regional poster child for crony capitalism and related forms of corruption. Malaysia simply can't offer Hong Kong's combination of rule of law and unassailable authority from Beijing.

Singapore can likewise offer similar certainty and comfort and is currently in the market for a theme park as part of its casino-resort development on Sentosa Island. Disney won't jump into the fray, having resisted the blandishments of Las Vegas for decades to preserve its wholesome image untainted by association with gambling.

Disney's inherent conservativeness also means that it won't build a theme park on speculation. Before DisneyWorld, Orlando may have been a blighted inland city in an economy organized around coastal tourism, but Florida was already well into its transition from a mere vacation destination to America's fourth-largest state.
If Singapore's casino developments, including a likely Universal Studios park, do bring in 15 million or more annual visitors by 2011 and, as some speculate, lead to the city-state's population growing to 5 million or more by boosting immigration and slackening emigration, it would be quite a feat. And if the plans for Bandar Nusajaya simultaneously pan out, then Disney may well be tempted to build a theme park, and it will likely find just as many inducements from some property developer then. Disney won't lead a parade to Johor, but it could follow one.

For the time being, though, the Malaysia Disney rumors are, in effect, corporate-government hypesters in overdrive trying to create a parade where they now have only an unbuilt street. While the outright lies of the Enrons and WorldComs of the world eventually bring mighty falls, such daily tidbits of half-truths that lead to market speculation probably cost investors far more.




Gary LaMoshi has worked as a broadcast producer and print writer and editor in the US and Asia. Longtime editor of investor rights advocate eRaider.com, he's also a contributor to Slate and Salon.com.

(Copyright 2006 Asia Times Online Ltd. All rights reserved.

[dengilo]

I told u guys DISININOLAND can lah !

[qerbau]

I'm new in here.. Mayb I cant be a good talker like u guys.. but i'mvery dissappointed with most of of u guys who are all i suppose Malaysian. We should support our country is bringing new attraction nd development to our country and we as malaysian should be very proud about it. We should take the example from the unity and spirit of Indonesian although they are very poor country, but when the Indonesian government announced to build the tallest tower in the world, most of them give their full support and not kutuk negara sendiri macam korang ni.. What a shame...Indonesian forumer are a peacefull persons and contain of diferrent religion and racesunity in diversity
U can see how these Indonesian attitude compare to u all from this link http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showth...3&page=1&pp=20
(Oshkshbgood)(Pablo) plz show dat u r proud to be malaysian or u can get the hell out of dis country.. and (DW25), jgn kurang ajar sgt... ty..sorry kalo tkasar bahasa..

[szehoong]

Originally Posted by qerbau

(Oshkshbgood)(Pablo) plz show dat u r proud to be malaysian or u can get the hell out of dis country.. and (DW25), jgn kurang ajar sgt... ty..sorry kalo tkasar bahasa..

Although you posted with the noble intention to encourage Malaysians to support projects that technically could benefit us but do you have to say those things above?

I mean you are a 'no one' or not in the position to ask someone to get out of our country. I am sure every criticism here is for the good although some forumers are consistently negative but most criticises for the good. Furthermore those are their point of views.

Sometimes people here confused between 'talking cock' and giving point-of-view so I am here to straightened things out. There are also people whom think their negative and non-constructive criticism are opinions.

So please jangan kurang ajar sangat and ask people to leave. Hope to see more constructive posts from ya next time

[dengilo]

emm!lets get real here guys!me personally have been to DISNEYLAND 5 times in my lifetime ! THat is one place that i ll be a little kid again and again ,i would love to see and go if its in malaysia,singapore or even thailand!i once said the numbers just dont add up for them to even consider malaysia as the next one after hongkong!when i think of malaysia we can have something similar on a slightly smaller scale!JB,malacca or even KL a theme park with malaysian feel to it with lots lots fun rides (not like the one at genting)imagine this taman mini malaysia with rollercoasters,picnic grounds for the family,animal shows for the young ones etc etc the list can go on and and just that we being malaysian have to be a little more creativelah just dont tumpang the americana fever to attract tourist to our beautiful country

[johnsonooi]

Fisrt of all, welcome to this forum. However, 'mengutuk' is not a proper word to be used to describe the situation we had here. I agree that all malaysians should be unified and support our gov policies. However, if the gov makes the wrong decisions, will u support the gov? For example, increasing the price of sugar to 100% to carter the high demand market without further investigation, negotiation and no reasons??? Will u be angry??

Although the forumers here are giving the opinions that seem negative to you, but think about this, do we have to support the project while not most of the malaysian benefited from that project? In other words, our gov is not that rich enough and other rurals area like Kedah, Kelantan, Sabah etc need gov attention to provide neccessity and electricity. Building a Disneyland would generate a good profit to national economic, but people might laughing at us that we have a world class facilities and entertainment centre but about 30% of the malaysians do not get electricity connection, water supply........Is that economic viable? Is the all Malaysian benefited from that projects??? Dont you feel angry that people mengejek our beloved country because of false policy and stupid decision???

I am pretty sure that Pak Lah's cabinet is concerned about the whole Malaysians welfare but not the minority one.

Originally Posted by qerbau

I'm new in here.. Mayb I cant be a good talker like u guys.. but i'mvery dissappointed with most of of u guys who are all i suppose Malaysian. We should support our country is bringing new attraction nd development to our country and we as malaysian should be very proud about it. We should take the example from the unity and spirit of Indonesian although they are very poor country, but when the Indonesian government announced to build the tallest tower in the world, most of them give their full support and not kutuk negara sendiri macam korang ni.. What a shame...Indonesian forumer are a peacefull persons and contain of diferrent religion and racesunity in diversity
U can see how these Indonesian attitude compare to u all from this link http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showth...3&page=1&pp=20
(Oshkshbgood)(Pablo) plz show dat u r proud to be malaysian or u can get the hell out of dis country.. and (DW25), jgn kurang ajar sgt... ty..sorry kalo tkasar bahasa..

[OshHisham]

Originally Posted by johnsonooi

Dont you feel angry that people mengejek our beloved country because of false policy and stupid decision???

I am pretty sure that Pak Lah's cabinet is concerned about the whole Malaysians welfare but not the minority one.

why this guy mentions my name?.....our gov. indeed did alot of stupid decision lately...and i agree with what ur saying johnsonooi....what can i say to this 'budak berhingus'(qouted from Tun M's speech) is.....just ignore him.

[modbus69]

Who actually spread the not-to-happen news? In fact, I don't it'll have in the next century. As yourself, how much are you willing to pay to visit Disneyland?? Because this is what Disney will ask you, malaysians. By the time you see how much they charge, you'll be
Is malaysia economy ready for this?? If malaysian typical salary is still RM3k-RM4k a month, are you willing to pay RM150++ or more for a disney entrance?? not to add the travel cost to Johor. And disney will ask how often will you do that?

[szehoong]

First of all Welcome to the forums.........

Originally Posted by modbus69

Who actually spread the not-to-happen news?

The Edge Daily

In fact, I don't it'll have in the next century. As yourself, how much are you willing to pay to visit Disneyland??

Between RM150 to RM200. If Sunway Lagoon could charge RM32.00 for its entrance, I seriously don't mind paying 10 times more for 10 times of fun. Also that if you notice, Disney always give discounts to locals and natives to the area

Because this is what Disney will ask you, malaysians.

Malaysians would not be the only target market. Their main group would be holiday seekers from all around the South East Asian region, people whom could afford and would choose HK, Australia or Japan as their holiday destination.

And that is the reason why it is situated so close to Singapore. Not just the rich Singaporeans that they are targetting but also the throng of tourists that their integrated resorts. And not forgetting Changi as the regions leading airport that could bring in tourist from all over the region. Senai as AirAsia's hub could also play in important role for budget concious travellers.

By the time you see how much they charge, you'll be

I listed down all the pricing of all Disney resorts in the early part of this thread. So I believe everyone should know how much they are charging when browsing thru this thread.

I seriously dun think anyone would run seeing the price. The Walt Disney World in Florida manages to capture a large segment of the not-so-rich South American market as well. So does the HK Disneyland that is supposed to target the average Chinese which earns less than any Malaysians.

If you study tourism economics, you'll understand that people are willing to spend a lot of money when they are on vacation. And usually any Disney resorts would take up more than a day of their itenary so RM150 to RM300 is nothing. Some local tours are already charging more than that

Is malaysia economy ready for this?? If malaysian typical salary is still RM3k-RM4k a month, are you willing to pay RM150++ or more for a disney entrance?? not to add the travel cost to Johor. And disney will ask how often will you do that?

Disney or any other theme park operator wouldn't expect the entire population of its host country to visit their themepark every month or so. I think RM150-RM300 is nothing compared to how much it takes for an average Malaysian to maintain a car these days. Moreover going to a themepark isn't comething you do everyday or even every month no matter how rich you are. Serious.......I dun think Donald Trump, Paris Hilton or Bill Gates go to a Disney park everyday although they could very well afford it

A Disney fan like myself would probably visit it twice or so per year and my salary is just like an average Malaysian's. Going to a Disney themepark is like taking the family on a holiday abroad. It is not a monthly or fortnightly thingy and I am very suire Disney is aware of that. Furthermore not many would go more than twice in their lifetime to a Disney Resort. So a marketing-savvy company like Disney wouldn't be asking such questions. They know that it is the greater SEA market that they are attracting

[pedang]

Khazanah runding tarik Walt Disney ke Johor
Oleh JOHARDY IBRAHIM

KUALA LUMPUR 13 Nov. – Khazanah Nasional Bhd., dipercayai telah mengadakan rundingan sulit dengan Walt Disney Co., syarikat berasaskan hiburan kedua terbesar di Amerika Syarikat untuk membina dan menguruskan sebuah taman tema di Johor.

Sumber memberitahu Utusan Malaysia, rundingan itu dilakukan ‘secara senyap- senyap’ kerana Walt Disney mempunyai perjanjian membina, mengendali dan mengurus taman tema dengan Singapura tetapi ia dijangka tamat menjelang hujung tahun ini.

Menurutnya, Walt Disney sebelum ini menafikan adanya rundingan untuk membina taman tema Disneyland di Johor kerana faktor ia masih mempunyai perjanjian dengan Singapura.

“Perjanjian dengan Singapura akan tamat hujung tahun ini, dan menjelang suku pertama tahun depan, Walt Disney sama ada secara terus atau menerusi anak syarikatnya seperti Oriental Land Co., Japan dijangka memeterai perjanjian awal berhubung perkara itu,” kata sumber itu lagi.

Pada bulan Mei 2006, UEM World Bhd., sebuah syarikat pembangunan prasarana milik kerajaan mengumumkan ia sedang berunding dengan sekurang-kurangnya dua buah syarikat taman tema termasuk pengendali taman tema Tokyo Disneyland dan Tokyo DisneySea untuk membangunkan taman tema di Malaysia.

Oriental Land Co., Japan adalah pengendali Tokyo Disneyland dan Tokyo DisneySea.

UEM World, yang dikuasai kerajaan menerusi sayap pelaburannya, Khazanah, mengharapkan pembinaan taman tema berkenaan untuk membantunya melonjakkan jualan hartanah di Johor.

Antara projek hartanahnya ialah Bandar Nusajaya yang kini sedang dibangunkan menjadi perbandaran seluas 23,000 ekar dengan unjuran 600,000 penduduk menjelang tahun 2020.

Pembangunan projek itu merangkumi pembinaan kediaman, pejabat, kawasan perindustrian dan pusat-pusat pengajian tinggi.

Johor, antara lokasi utama pembangunan di bawah Inisiatif Pembiayaan Swasta (PFI) dalam Rancangan Malaysia Kesembilan (RMK-9), akan turut mendapat manfaat daripada rancangan perbelanjaan kerajaan bernilai RM1.85 bilion dalam tempoh lima tahun akan datang bagi menaik taraf kemudahan destinasi pelancongan untuk menyaingi Singapura yang merancang membina dua buah kasino bagi menarik pelancong.

Sumber berkata, syarikat yang dijangka mendapat manfaat besar daripada pembangunan di Johor ialah Tebrau Teguh Bhd., yang tersenarai awam dan memiliki lebih 429,000 hektar tanah dengan nilai buku bersih sekitar RM590 juta yang terletak berhampiran dengan Bandar Nusajaya. Nilai itu adalah berdasarkan penilaian yang dibuat syarikat pada tahun 2003.

Penganalisis yang memantau syarikat itu menjelaskan, meskipun tanpa projek taman tema di Johor, tanah berkenaan kini dianggarkan bernilai kira-kira RM1 bilion, dan melalui kewujudan taman tema itu, nilai tanah boleh melonjak tiga kali ganda kepada RM3 bilion.

“Pembangunan Wilayah Pembangunan Iskandar (WPI) (sebelum ini dikenali Wilayah Ekonomi Johor Selatan - SJER) akan memberi manfaat besar kepada kumpulan kerana simpanan tanahnya secara strategik berada dalam lingkungan SJER.

‘‘Kita akan memantau potensi pembangunan dengan agensi kerajaan yang berkaitan dan meneroka peluang pembinaan,” kata Pengerusi Tebrau Datuk Ayub Mion dalam laporan tahunan terbaru syarikat itu.

Ayub, bekas setiausaha Kerajaan Johor, juga merupakan penasihat kepada kerajaan negeri, menurut maklumat dalam laporan tahunan itu.

Tebrau dimiliki 42 peratus oleh Kumpulan Prasaranarakyat Johor Sdn. Bhd., sebuah syarikat yang dimiliki Kerajaan Johor.

“Tebrau dijangka memainkan peranan aktif dalam kegiatan pembinaan di kawasan sekitar SJER, kerana ia dikuasai Kerajaan Johor,” kata sumber itu.

[patchay]

TheStar Biz section Front Page Today



UEM World Bhd jumped 29 sen to RM3.26 in its fifth straight day of share price gain on rating upgrades by several analysts.

The counter has gained 52% since Jan 30 after Bursa Malaysia said the company would join the 100-strong KLCI as a component stock effective Feb 26.

The increased interest in UEM World could also be due to speculation that it is in advanced talks with the franchise holder of Disney Hong Kong to set up a Disney theme park in Bandar Nusajaya. There is also an unconfirmed report that the property arm of the group is planning to raise RM1bil to fund developments in Johor.

[Pablo]

so the disney is coming or not coming?

[Lastresorter]

I think the Johor government would have a hard time convincing Disney that its theme park will not become Water World.

[OshHisham]

is the franchise holder of Tokyo disney and HK disney the same guy?

[nazrey]

Originally Posted by Lastresorter

I think the Johor government would have a hard time convincing Disney that its theme park will not become Water World.

LOL!..!!.

[Leeigh]

Originally Posted by szehoong

Although you posted with the noble intention to encourage Malaysians to support projects that technically could benefit us but do you have to say those things above?

I mean you are a 'no one' or not in the position to ask someone to get out of our country. I am sure every criticism here is for the good although some forumers are consistently negative but most criticises for the good. Furthermore those are their point of views.

Sometimes people here confused between 'talking cock' and giving point-of-view so I am here to straightened things out. There are also people whom think their negative and non-constructive criticism are opinions.

So please jangan kurang ajar sangat and ask people to leave. Hope to see more constructive posts from ya next time

well said brother Sze..and who is this Gerbau dude causing all the 'kacau'.

[dengilo]

Tikusland story again by the time they get their act together!Singapore will have two casino resorts and by then may be formula 1 race!Then all melopong Disininoland is more like it ha ha