PRESS DIGEST - Vietnam newspapers - Feb 8

HANOI Feb 8 (Reuters) - These are some of the leading stories in the official Vietnamese press on Wednesday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

FINANCIAL NEWS:

TUOI TRE

-- The central bank has requested that foreign banks report their lending and deposits for bond purchases by other credit institutions.

ECONOMIC AND GENERAL NEWS:

VIETNAM NEWS

-- Brunei's Sultan has decided to release nine Vietnamese fishermen after a 19-day detainment for fishing in Brunei's territorial waters following talks by Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh with the sultan.

TUOI TRE

-- The agriculture ministry's veterinary department has proposed establishment of seven task forces to inspect prevention efforts against the bird flu spread, said Pham Van Dong, deputy head of the department.

THANH NIEN

-- The municipal authorities of northern Hai Phong city said they have dismissed two officials of Tien Lang District for wrongdoing that drove farmers to shoot at police and soldiers in a land scandal.

LAO DONG

-- The finance ministry's price management department has requested provincial and municipal authorities inspect the performance of gas distributors after a price hike.

THOI BAO KINH TE VIETNAM

-- Vietnam's insurance industry has targeted to achieve total premiums of 135.3 trillion dong ($6.48 billion) this year, up from 96.99 trillion dong last year, said Le Bach Hong, chief executive of Vietnam Social Insurance.

DAU TU

-- Malaysia's Jaks Resources Bhd, investor in the Hai Duong thermal power plant, said it has signed an agreement to sell a 40 percent stake to China's Meiya Power and another 10 percent stake to Malaysia's Island Circle Investment Holding.

($1=20,850 dong) (Reporting by Hanoi Newsroom)