PRESS DIGEST - Thai newspapers - March 24

BANGKOK, March 24 (Reuters) - These are some of the leading stories in Thai newspapers on Wednesday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

TOP STORIES

- Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva is attending meetings of the House on Wednesday and Thursday despite a threat by the red shirts to blockade parliament (BANGKOK POST)

- Grenade blasts at the Public Health Ministry just half an hour after a cabinet meeting adjourned have sparked a war of words between the government and army on one side and the red shirts on the other (BANGKOK POST)

- Acting government spokesman Panitan Wattanayakorn is staying on message, insisting the government has security in Bangkok under control, even as explosions take place within earshot of the news conference he is holding (BANGKOK POST)

- The Influenza Foundation of Thailand urged the Public Health Ministry to vaccinate all red-shirt demonstrators against type-A (H1N1) influenza after two people became infected (THE NATION)

BUSINESS

- The cabinet has extended tax breaks for home buyers for another two months to shore up in the real estate market (BANGKOK POST)

- The red shirt protests have had a slight impact on tourism from markets such as the Middle East and India, prompting the Tourism Authority of Thailand to maintain its target of tourist arrivals from the two regions (BANGKOK POST)

- The Thai Chamber of Commerce urged the government to end the political deadlock as soon as possible, as the prolonged street demonstrations have already hit tourism and their effect will soon spread to retail, export and investment sectors (THE NATION)

- The PTT PTT.BK group is conducting a feasibility study in a number of areas for investing in solar farms with a capacity of 50-60 megawatts each, in line with the group's policy to focus more on green energy for sustainable growth (THE NATION)

- General Motors Thailand is actively pursuing its business expansion plans after obtaining 13.5 billion baht in loans from local financial institutions (BANGKOK POST)

- Listed property developer Tanayong TYON.BK will pay 40 billion baht ($1.24 billion) to raise its shareholding in Bangkok Mass Transit System, the operator of the capital's elevated train system, to 94.6 percent from 0.38 percent at present (BANGKOK POST)

- Thailand should rethink its currency policies and consider returning to a fixed-basket approach to strengthen export competitiveness, said John Sheehan, a principal of Global Markets Asia (BANGKOK POST)

($1=32.34 Baht) (Bangkok Newsroom +66 2648 9729, e-mail: bangkok.newsroom@reuters.com)