Holding(s) in Company

Aberdeen Asian Smaller Co's Inv Tst
03 December 2003



                                  SCHEDULE 10

                   NOTIFICATION OF MAJOR INTERESTS IN SHARES

1. Name of company

Aberdeen Asian Smaller Companies Investment Trust PLC

2. Name of shareholder having a major interest

Rio Tinto plc and Rio Tinto Pension Investments Limited

3. Please state whether notification indicates that it is in respect of holding
of the shareholder named in 2 above or in respect of a non-beneficial interest
or in the case of an individual holder if it is a holding of that person's
spouse or children under the age of 18


4. Name of the registered holder(s) and, if more than one holder, the number of
shares held by each of them


5. Number of shares / amount of stock acquired

300,000

6. Percentage of issued class

1.12%

7. Number of shares / amount of stock disposed

N/A

8. Percentage of issued class

N/A

9. Class of security

Ordinary 25p shares

10. Date of transaction

1 December 2003



11. Date company informed

3 December 2003

12. Total holding following this notification

1,775,000

13. Total percentage holding of issued class following this notification

6.63%

14. Any additional information

Following this transaction, the breakdown of holdings is as follows:

Registered Name                    Number of      Percentage of issued
                                   Shares         share cap

HSBC Global Custody Nominee (UK)     1,700,000        6.35%
Ltd - 810313

HSBC Global Custody Nominee (UK)        75,000        0.28%
Ltd - 813025

This notification is on behalf of Rio Tinto Pension Investments Limited and Rio
Tinto plc.

15. Name of contact and telephone number for queries

Ruth Humphrey, 020 7463 6305

16. Name and signature of authorised company official responsible for making
this notification

Aberdeen Asset Management PLC - Secretary

Date of notification

3 December 2003







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