Malaysia says body to study Forest City project

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 02 (Reuters): Malaysia has said a committee will review the $100 billion Forest City real estate project, days after Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said foreigners would not be granted visas to live there.

Mahathir's comments were a setback for Chinese developer Country Garden Holdings Co Ltd. as it tries to revive faltering demand in the project on Malaysia's southern tip.

"We will form a committee to study and review whatever terms that were agreed to previously," Housing and Local Government Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin said at a press conference.

"We will engage with all the agencies involved and also the developer. Then we see what is the best way forward," the minister said, according to a recording of the press conference.

Shares in Hong Kong-listed Country Garden, China's largest property developer by sales, fell as much as 3.5 per cent last week following Mahathir's announcement.

The Forest City project, which is envisaged to eventually house 700,000 people on reclaimed land near Singapore, has faced uncertainty since Mahathir's coalition won a shock victory at a May general election.

The project, along with several other infrastructure mega-projects backed by Chinese money, became fodder for Mahathir's election campaign when he tapped into public displeasure over a perceived over-dependence on Chinese capital.

Country Garden Pacificview Sdn Bhd, a joint venture between Country Garden and the Johor state government to develop Forest City, said in a statement that Mahathir's comments "may have been taken out of context".

The company said Mahathir had responded positively during a meeting over two weeks ago with Country Garden chairman, Yeung Kwok Keung, and that the company has complied with all necessary regulations in developing the project.