Portfolio Update Quarterly portfolio update

Martin Currie High Income Trust plc
                    Stock Exchange Announcement - 4 May 2005


In  accordance  with  the Listing Rules, which require,  inter  alia,  UK-listed
investment  companies to notify to a Regulatory Information Service, within  two
business days of the end of each quarter, a list of all investments held by them
with  a  value  greater than 5% of the company's gross assets and at  least  the
company's  10 largest investments as at the last  business day of that  quarter,
Martin Currie High Income Trust plc announces that, as at 30 April 2005 , its 10
largest investments were:


                                 % of gross
                                   assets
BP                                  10.2
HSBC Holdings                        9.5
GlaxoSmithKline                      8.4
Shell Transport & Trading Co         6.4
Lloyds TSB Group                     5.0
Barclays                             4.8
Land Securities Group                4.4
Scottish & Southern Energy           4.2
Tomkins                              3.6
National Grid Transco                3.3



For further information, please contact:

Michael Woodward
Martin Currie Investment Management Ltd                0131 229 5252