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Mr Kwok with wife Wendy, whom he married after his first marriage failed. But his first love was Ms Ida Tong, whom he met in the 1970s. According to media reports, she came back into his life after he was kidnapped in 1997. -- PHOTO: SINA.COM.HK
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Hong Kong now has its own Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles.
At least that's what people call Mr Walter Kwok, the ousted chairman of property giant Sun Hung Kai, and his girlfriend Ida Tong.
Their romance has spanned 30 years and survived fierce family objections. Not surprisingly, it has attracted relentless public interest too.
Like the British royal couple, the attraction between Mr Kwok, 57, and Ms Tong, 61, appears to be more of one between kindred spirits than physical.
Their romance came to light in February, when Mr Kwok abruptly took three months' leave from the helm of Hong Kong's largest property developer.
He had held the fort there for 18 years since the death of his father Kwok Tak Seng, who is the company's co-founder.
Two younger brothers, Thomas and Raymond, had been his lieutenants as vice-chairmen.
Together, the three brothers built Sun Hung Kai into one of the largest property companies in Asia, with 27,000 employees and revenue of HK$31 billion (S$5.4 billion) last year.
This year, Forbes ranked the brothers as Hong Kong's second-richest, with a combined wealth of US$24 billion (S$32 billion).
But Mr Kwok returned from leave to find himself unceremoniously removed as Sun Hung Kai chairman at a board meeting presided over by his own brothers.
Hong Kong media reports said the family felt that Ms Tong had been exerting too much influence over Mr Kwok and his business decisions.
The pair had fallen in love with each other in the 1970s. He was a fresh-faced civil engineering graduate from Imperial College; she was a young lawyer.
Mr Kwok's father put a stop to the relationship, fearing that it would harm his eldest son's career.
Mr Kwok married a tycoon's daughter, but the union lasted barely a year.
He soon remarried. This time it was to Madam Wendy Li, who comes from a family of physicians.
Ms Tong, meanwhile, married a gynaecologist, Dr Alan Lau, in 1971 and gave birth to three children. They divorced 12 years later and have been strangers ever since, Dr Lau, 62, told The Standard newspaper.
'I was surprised to find out from the newspapers that she knew him (Kwok),' he said.
It is not known whether Mr Kwok and Ms Tong kept in contact after they split up.
But Mr Kwok's near brush with death in 1997 apparently brought them back together.
Kidnapped by one of Hong Kong's most notorious criminals, Mr Kwok was beaten and imprisoned in a closed wooden box for seven days before he was released for HK$600 million.
The ordeal left him emotionally scarred. It was at that time that Ms Tong came back into his life, Hong Kong media reported.
The spark was still there, reports said, because both had much in common.
Like Mr Kwok, Ms Tong's father was a well-known entrepreneur.
She is said to be ambitious, strong-willed and skilful in wheeling and dealing, having dabbled in various businesses over the years - not unlike Mr Kwok himself.
Their days have been filled with cruises on Mr Kwok's yacht, golf and skiing trips. They holidayed in Rome as well.
Ms Tong persuaded Mr Kwok to install her associates in various positions in Sun Hung Kai. She also recently assumed an active role herself in running the company, reports say.
Sources add that on many occasions Ms Tong even sparred verbally with the wives of Mr Kwok's brothers. The wives hold senior positions in Sun Hung Kai.
The final straw for his family came when Mr Kwok wanted to give Ms Tong a seat on the board, the sources said.
That was when his mother, Madam Kwong Siu Hing, put her foot down.
The 79-year-old matriarch forced her eldest son to go on leave in February, according to sources.
In May, he was removed as chairman, reducing his role to a non-executive director. Madam Kwong was named the chairman.
The fallen tycoon has taken legal action against his brothers. He claims that they had tried to get a doctor to assert that he was mentally unfit to run the company.
Neither Ms Tong nor Mr Kwok has spoken publicly about their relationship.
For now, it appears that the two, unlike Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall, may not see a happy ending.
seokhwai@sph.com.sg
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