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.

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

"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.

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 thousand 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.

ALSO READ: 'We're forced into a corner': Singapore's 'mamak shops' could vanish amid high costs and changing shopping habits

lim.kewei@asiaone.com