PRESS DIGEST - Malaysia - Jan 16

Following are the main stories in Malaysian newspapers. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

ALL NEWSPAPERS

- Lawyer V.K. Lingam was speaking on his handphone with former chief justice Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim in the video clip on the alleged brokering of judicial appointments, the Royal Commission of Inquiry heard on Tuesday.

- Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TENA.KL) reported a 22 percent rise in net profit for its first quarter ended November 30, 2007 to 1.5 billion ringgit, thanks to an increase in electricity demand and a stronger ringgit, which helped reduce the cost of its foreign-currency debt.

THE STAR

- The Anti-Corruption Agency has started investigations on two senior Tourism Ministry officers for allegedly misusing government funds to produce a tourism promotional video.

- Weeks after a war of words broke out among Golden Plus Holdings Bhd (GPLU.KL) shareholders over The Royal Gardens project, Teh Soon Seng, the man who oversees the project in Shanghai, broke his silence with a warning that the company could potentially lose up to 40 million ringgit in damages in six months if the battle for control of Golden Plus board is prolonged.

NEW STRAITS TIMES

- Muslims cannot segregate their religion from the public sphere, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said.

BUSINESS TIMES

- New helicopter service provider Awan Inspirasi Sdn Bhd is close to securing a sizeable chunk of Malaysia's 300 million ringgit-per-year offshore air transportation service for the oil and gas industry, currently controlled by Malaysian Helicopter Services Sdn Bhd, sources said.

- The Malaysian Resources Corp Bhd (MYRS.KL)/Penang Port consortium has been issued a Letter of Intent for the Penang Monorail project, Syarikat Prasarana Negara Bhd said on Tuesday.

THE EDGE FINANCIAL DAILY

- CIMB Bank Bhd wants to emulate former banking group Phileo Allied Bank in being an innovator, and creating value for its customers and stakeholders, said its group chief executive, Nazir Razak.

THE MALAYSIAN RESERVE

- Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TENA.KL), which registered a 21.6 percent growth in net profit to 1.52 billion ringgit for the first quarter ended November 30, 2007, will not be repaying its U.S. dollar-denominated loans immediately, Chief Executive Che Khalib Mohamad Noh said.

THE SUN

- UMNO cannot be the Democratic Action Party's (DAP) political arch nemesis and a vote for the DAP cannot be translated into a vote against UMNO, Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) President Ong Ka Ting said.

- Great Eastern Life Assurance (Malaysia) Bhd is targeting to have 3,000 of its agents registered for its in-house Life Planning Adviser programme by the end of this year, said Deputy Chief Executive Officer Koh Yaw Hui.

UTUSAN MALAYSIA

- Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi played down the frenzy over the upcoming general election, saying it could be called at any time between now and March, or even in March next year.

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