SINGAPORE (AFP): Malaysian tycoon Robert Kuok, whose vast empire includes media, hotel and mining properties, is Southeast Asia's richest person with estimated wealth of US$5.3 billion, Forbes magazine said on Thursday.
Malaysians and Singaporeans dominate the list. Kuok had also topped last year's inaugural Forbes roster of the region's wealthiest individuals.
Malaysia's Ananda Krishnan, who owns cable TV operator Astro and phone company Maxis, remained number two with a net worth of $5.1 billion.
Third ranked was Singaporean hotelier Kwek Leng Beng, worth some $4.0 billion.
Fourth on the list was another Singaporean, 77-year-old property tycoon Ng Teng Fong, whose wealth was estimated at $3.2 billion followed by Thailand's Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi, who made it to the top 10 list for the first time with a net worth of $3.0 billion.
The 60-year-old Thai businessman, son of a street vendor, made his fortune in whisky and owns extensive properties in New York and Bangkok, Forbes said.
Singaporean banker Lee Seng Wee was ranked the sixth wealthiest individual with a fortune of $2.7 billion, followed by Malaysia's casino king Lim Goh Tong on $2.6 billion.
The 87-year-old Lim's Genting Group is one of Asia's biggest casino operators. He handed chairmanship of the company to his son Lim Kok Thay last year.
Quek Leng Chan, cousin of Singapore's Kwek, was eighth with a net worth of $2.4 billion. The crown jewel of Quek's business empire is the Hong Leong Group Malaysia, one of Asia's biggest financial conglomerates.
Singaporean banker Wee Cho Yaw, who was ranked fourth on the list last year, slipped to joint eighth with Quek while Indonesia's R. Budi Hartono, who owns clove cigarette maker Djarum, was 10th with a net worth of $2.3 billion.
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Man, I wanna be rich.
Robert Kuok
Ananda Krishnan
Lim Goh Tong
Quek Leng Chan
