Owner of Singapore's last kampung, valued at $70m, refuses to sell land

There are some things that money can't buy.

For Sng Mui Hong, no amount can convince her to sell the land which Kampong Lorong Buangkok — Singapore's last remaining kampung — stands on.

She and her four siblings inherited the village from her late father Sng Teow Koon, who bought the 12,248 sq m plot of land in 1956.

And despite the land reportedly being valued at a staggering $70 million, Sng remains steadfast in her conviction of holding onto the kampung because of a promise, she said in a TikTok video uploaded by property agents Wan & Zal last Monday (Sept 23).

Clad in a checkered shirt and patterned pants while sitting astride a bicycle, the youngest of four children shared that her father had wanted to keep the land for his descendants.

"It's a big sin, since you already promised your father [to keep the land], how can you lie?" She told the duo in Malay.

[embed]https://www.tiktok.com/@wanandzal/video/7417770017309068560[/embed]

Sng added that the kampung will be left to her relatives in the future, who are aware of the promise and their grandfather's wishes.

The one-minute video has racked up over 700,000 views in a week, with many netizens commending Sng for keeping her promise to her late father.

"That's someone who isn't money-minded and keeps promises," commented a TikTok user.

In 2022, Business Insider reported that the woman had purportedly been offered $70 million for the land, where 25 families still live.

Kampong Lorong Buangkok had also made headlines in 2007 after media reports said the kampung was worth $33 million.

The frustrated co-owner and her tenants were reportedly hounded by property agents, whose offers she rejected.

She told The New Paper then: "I am not rich, and I am not selling my land.

"I take after my father in my philosophy of life. As long as I have enough to eat, I don't hunger after money or to be rich.

"I will never sell the land if I can help it, because if I do so, I will be unfilial."

Those keen on visiting the kampung might be glad to know that guided tours by operator Let’s Go Tour Singapore are available.

During the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, locals had booked out weekend tours around the kampung, reported Reuters.

In the guided tour, one gets to explore the village, learn how to use a traditional coal-fired clothing iron and chat with residents.

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lim.kewei@asiaone.com