PRESS DIGEST - Thai newspapers - July 23

BANGKOK, July 23 (Reuters) - These are some of the leading stories in Thai newspapers on Thursday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

TOP STORIES

- The release of Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi would be a major step towards improving ties between Myanmar and Washington, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says (BANGKOK POST)

- Stressing the United States' commitment to a "comeback" in Asia, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressed confidence in Thailand's democracy, condemned Myanmar's military and issued another tough warning for Iran (THE NATION)

- North Korea and Myanmar came under heavy political pressure yesterday at the meeting of ASEAN ministers plus observers from China, Japan and South Korea (THE NATION)

- Southeast and East Asian foreign ministers are recommending that North Korea and the United States sign a security agreement to pave the way for Pyongyang to end its nuclear tests (BANGKOK POST)

- The Public Health Ministry is reporting 20 more deaths from the deadly type-A (H1N1) flu and estimates more than 500,000 Thais have been infected (BANGKOK POST)

BUSINESS

- The central bank is considering investing some of its foreign reserves in Chinese financial assets and entering into a bilateral swap agreement with that country's government, even though the yuan is not yet a reserve currency (THE NATION)

- The Bank of Thailand is prepared to further ease monetary policy if new risk factors emerged to threaten economic recovery, according to deputy governor Bandid Nijathaworn (BANGKOK POST)

- Thai exporters are expressing concern about the "land-grabbing colonialism" strategy being used by developed nations to reap benefits from agricultural goods grown in a second country and exported to other nations (THE NATION)

- Thai rice exporters are calling for the government to release some of its stockpile quickly, to relieve skyrocketing domestic prices and the worsening supply situation (THE NATION)

- The government may improve tax incentives for "eco cars" to stimulate the economy, says Suwit Khunkitti, minister of Natural Resources and Environment (BANGKOK POST)

- Tata Steel Ltd TSTH.BK, part of India's leading industrial conglomerate, is seeking more investment opportunities in Thailand, both in the steel and automotive sectors, managing director B. Muthuraman said (BANGKOK POST)

- The National Telecommunications Commission will hold a trial 3G bandwidth auction at the weekend to test its readiness to call bids by the end of this year(BANGKOK POST)

- Textile exports are expected to improve in the latter half of this year as international buyers shift from higher-cost Chinese producers to local firms, say Virat Tandejanurat, director of the Thai Textile Institute (BANGKOK POST)

- Developers urged the government to disclose the details of the draft property law and hold public hearings, because it is complicated and may impose a burden on both developers and home-owners (THE NATION)

- The Tourism Authority of Thailand will host the "Amazing Thai-Food Episode" from September 24-28 as part of its strategy to attract tourists in the low season (THE NATION)

- True Corp TRUE.BK has now taken over KSC Commercial Internet, the first commercial Internet service provider in Thailand (BANGKOK POST)

- Betagro Group, one of Thailand's top five agri-businesses, is strengthening its wholesale unit by increasing the number of Betagro stores across the country with the aim of generating sales of 1.1 billion baht this year (THE NATION) ** Looking for more information from local sources? Factiva.com has eight Thai sources including the Bangkok Post and The Nation.