Media Highlights : Khazanah shortlists 3 for stake in Pos, NCB seeks licence renewal, Boustead buys 51% of MHS for RM100m, Smartag to start Thailand project, Maju eyes toll-road, rail jobs in Indonesia, Bracing for the Competition Act, Masterskill to collaborate with Kinta Medical Centre

Khazanah shortlists 3 for stake in Pos
Khazanah Nasional has shortlisted three companies to buy its 32.21% stake in Pos Malaysia, the country's sole national postal service company, people familiar with the tender process said yesterday. Business Times understands that the shortlisted parties will make a second and final presentation today. The three are DRB-HICOM, Nationwide Express Courier Services and a joint venture between Amanah Reit and loss-making Malaysia Pacific Corp. While most of the bids were based on cash and how they can leverage on Pos Malaysia's landbank, it is understood that one of the bids involves injecting a bank into the postal company. It is further understood that the shortlisted candidates for the stake had bid between 2.2 times and three times of Pos Malaysia's book value per share, which stood at RM1.54 as at end-December 2010. (Business Times)

NCB seeks licence renewal
Port operator NCB Holdings last week submitted a proposal for the renewal of its port licence and has hinted its concerns on the issue. The proposal comes two years before the licence expires in 2013. NCB Holdings chairman Tun Ahmad Sarji Abdul Hamid said the proposal was submitted after an exhaustive study on the merits of its case was conducted by external consultants. "There is some concern on the renewal of the licence. Once people know it is subject to a renewal, there may be other contenders. Nothing's wrong with being prudent and cautious," he said after the company's annual general meeting (AGM) yesterday. Ahmad Sarji declined to reveal details of its proposal, and only said that its current licence was for a period of 25 years. (Business Times)

Boustead buys 51% of MHS for RM100m
Boustead Holdings has bought a 51% stake in helicopter and aircraft charter services provider MHS Aviation Bhd for RM100m to strengthen its involvement in the oil and gas industry. Boustead deputy chairman and group managing director Tan Sri Lodin Wok Kamaruddin said the acquisition will boost the group's bottomline on a long term basis. (Business Times)

Smartag to start Thailand project
Smartag Solutions, en route to a listing on the ACE Market of Bursa Malaysia Securities on April 18, plans to implement its land checkpoint project in Thailand next month, its chief executive officer, Lim Peng Keong, said yesterday. He said Smartag, a radio frequency identification (RFID) solutions provider, had signed an agreement with Netbay Co Ltd to implement RFID container tracking systems at key Customs checkpoints in Thailand. (StarBiz)

Maju eyes toll-road, rail jobs in Indonesia
Maju Holdings SB has shown interest in the development of toll-road and monorail system in North Sumatra through collaboration with the Indonesian government. Maju Holdings group executive chairman Tan Sri Abu Sahid Mohamed, who met with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono here, had discussed the matter yesterday, according to a report quoting Senator Rahmat Shah. “The president welcomes the good intentions,” he said in the report posted on the Indonesian president’s official website. (StarBiz)

Bracing for the Competition Act
The Competition Act, which will come into force on 1 Jan, could have a major bearing on how businesses operate in Malaysia, especially for those with currently monopolistic or oligopolistic industry positions. The Competition Act was passed in May 2010, gazetted in 1 Jan 2012. It will have two major prohibitions. – anti-competitive agreements and abuse of dominant positions. (Financial Daily)

Masterskill to collaborate with Kinta Medical Centre
Masterskill Education Group and Kinta Medical Centre SB have agreed to jointly undertake academic research and development in physiotherapy. The set-up of of Masterskill-KMC Physiotherapy Centre will be located on KMC’s premises. Masterskill would bear the operational expenses of the physiotherapy centre, while profits will be shared equally for five years. It added that capital and investment outlay would not exceed RM500,000 and would be financed with its internal funds. (Financial Daily)