28 Aug 2002

Niue says no to holy city, but hotel sale still possible

11:02 am on 28 August 2002

The Niue Government has rejected a controversial plan by a South Korean sect to build a holy city on the island.

But the Premier Young Vivian says the Government is still looking the Korean group buying or leasing the island's two hotels and re-establishing a medical school.

The full Korean offer was for a 50 million US dollar investment and in return the group wanted a long term lease on 150 hectares of land on which they would build a walled religious compound.

But Mr Vivian says almost everyone was against the idea.

".there's a great opposition to it and I think at this time lets forget about it."

Young Vivian.