AP LAND AND HELP INTERNATIONAL TO OPEN CHINA CAMPUS

KUALA LUMPUR, June 17 (Bernama) -- Asia Pacific Land Bhd (AP Land) and HELP
International Corporation Bhd, which recently entered into a joint-venture, will
operate a new campus in Changshu, China, this October.

AP Land and HELP entered into the partnership, with equal shareholdings in
May, to identify education business opportunites in any country, including
Malaysia and China.

AP Land's joint Managing Director Low Gee Teong said the 20,000 square foot
campus in China, now in the final stages of completion, was located on phase one
of Platinum Galaxy Boulevard, a commercial development project by AP Land in
Changshu City.

The project, with a gross development value (GDV) of about RM800 million, is
on 65,421 square metres of land which was bought for RM44.8 million.

Phase one of the project is expected to be completed by August this year and
phase two in two years, involving a GDV of about 500 million renminbi.

"The new campus involves an investment of about 10 to 20 million renminbi.
We will focus on vocational training and English for specific purposes at the
initial stage," Low said at a press conference here today.

"Going forward, the campus can be expanded with the courses offered up to
diploma and degree levels," he said.

Low said with multinational companies and factories mushrooming in Changshu,
demand would be good for the education sector, catering to the development needs
in China.

The joint venture would also oversee operations of the Victoria
International College in Kuala Lumpur and Bandar Tasik Puteri Rawang in
Selangor, which started recently, he said.

On the local front, AP Land and HELP plan to set up a 20 hectare university
college within the Rawang township in the next three to four years.

"This campus will offer courses in allied health sciences to support the
retirement home project we are planning as well," Low said.

Other courses on recreational and spa management, sports management, sports
medicine and other vocational programmes would be offered gradually, he said.

Low said the partnership with HELP enabled both groups to exploit
their respective expertise and synergies to complement each other and help
build a skilled workforce for the country.
-- BERNAMA