PRESS DIGEST - Malaysia - July 7

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

NEW STRAITS TIMES (www.nst.com.my)

- Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on Sunday pledged to ensure that Malaysia would continue to be peaceful and safe despite perceptions to the contrary.

- Private investigator P. Balasubramaniam could have been detained by "interested parties", Federal Criminal Investigation Department Director Bakri Zinin said.

BUSINESS TIMES (www.btimes.com.my)

- Big plantation companies are starting to plant rubber trees on hilly land as rubber prices hit records, Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Peter Chin Fah Kui said.

THE STAR (www.thestar.com.my)

- Leaders of the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition and opposition alliance Pakatan Rakyat agree that there has been enough of political bickering in the country and it is time for them to work to alleviate the people's problems.

- Logistics firm Freight Management Holdings Bhd (FMHB.KL), which is finalising a joint-venture company in Indonesia, also plans to expand its freight services in another South-East Asian country by next year, Managing Director Chew Chong Keat said.

THE EDGE FINANCIAL DAILY (www.theedgedaily.com.my)

- Deleum Bhd's (DLEU.KL) power division is a growth story. The firm plans to acquire stakes in more independent power producers (IPPs) and grow its power-plant construction order book across Asia to expand the company's earnings base, its group Managing Director Chandran Aloysius Rajadurai said.

THE MALAYSIAN RESERVE (news@themalaysianreserves.com)

- Malaysia's sole bond pricing agency, Bondweb Malaysia Sdn Bhd, has stirred the interest of several financial data providers in establishing strategic collaborations with the company.

- The Economic Planning Unit (EPU), which advises the government on long-term economic strategies, has begun appointing independent consultants to re-examine tender and project estimates, in addition to the normal checks done by its own experts.

THE SUN (www.sun2surf.com)

- In giving the cost of corruption statistics, Pemudah, the special task force to facilitate business, said the Anti-Corruption Agency must be given a quick fix and a much-needed shot in the arm to restore investor confidence.