Acquisition of Interest in Bertam Holdings, etc

Rowe Evans Investments PLC
28 February 2000


Purchase of shares of Bertam Holdings PLC ('Bertam')


The  board of Rowe Evans Investments PLC announces that the Company  has,
on  25 February 2000, purchased 600,000 Bertam shares at a price of £1.50
per  share,  thereby  increasing its interest in Bertam  from  33.39%  to
36.23%.  Bertam owns Malaysian plantations which produce oil  palm  fresh
fruit  bunches.  It  also owns a 40% interest in the  Malaysian  property
group,  Bertam Properties Sdn. Bhd, which is in the course of developing,
over  the  next ten to fifteen years, a 3,500-acre plantation  in  Penang
State  into  a  housing,  leisure,  commercial  and  industrial  complex.
Bertam's  other plantations also possess longer-term property development
potential.

The  board further announces that the Company has subscribed for its  pro
rata  entitlement under a rights issue of new shares by Sungkai  Holdings
Limited ('Sungkai') at a cost of £766,860. The total net funds raised  by
Sungkai amounted to £1,601,820 and were substantially applied towards the
purchase of 1,960,000 Bertam shares at £1.50 per share.

In  addition  to  the  purchase of 2,560,000 Bertam shares,  referred  to
above, other members of the M. P. Evans grouping of companies acquired  a
further  440,000 Bertam shares at £1.50 per share. The total of 3,000,000
Bertam shares acquired was sold by the Johor Corporation Group ('Johor').
Johor's remaining holding of 2,116,170 Bertam shares represents 10.01% of
Bertam's issued share capital.

Notwithstanding  that  the  consideration  of  £1.50  per  Bertam   share
represents  an  approximate 62% premium over Bertam's current  mid-market
price of 92.5 pence per share, the transaction will serve to enhance  the
asset value of the Company as the consideration represents an approximate
25%  discount to the last-published net asset value as shown by the  1999
interim report of Bertam of £1.99 per share.

Further to this transaction, the board understands that those members  of
the  M.P.Evans  grouping  with  Malaysian  plantation  interests,  namely
Bertam,  Beradin  Holdings  PLC,  Padang  Senang  Holdings  PLC  and  The
Singapore  Para  Rubber Estates, PLC  intend  to review  their  corporate
structure. This may lead to their amalgamation.


                                    

By order of the board
M.P.Evans (UK) Limited
Secretaries
28 February 2000


Enquiries:  Mr P E Hadsley-Chaplin
            Telephone:   [phone]
            Fax:         [phone]
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