OCBC's Lee Family Withdraws Offer For Straits Trading

SINGAPORE (Dow Jones)--A vehicle controlled by the Lee family, the mainshareholder of Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp. (O39.SG), has withdraw an offer foracquiring all of Straits Trading Co. (S20.SG).

In a filing to the Singapore Exchange Sunday, it said that it is insteadaccepting the S$6.70 a share offer made by Investment company Tecity Group.

The Lee family owns 33.4% of Straits Trading , whose businesses include miningand smelting and hotel investment and management. The stake includes a 6.2%stake from Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp. (O39.SG), whose main shareholder is theLee family.

Tecity Group is owned by the family of the late Tan Chin Tuan, a formerchairman of OCBC. It is placing its bid through Cairns Pte. Ltd., which alreadyowns 24.55% of Straits Trading .

-By P.R. Venkat, Dow Jones Newswires; +65 64154 152; venkat.pr@dowjones.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires 03-02-08 1904ET Copyright (c) 2008 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

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