PRESS DIGEST - Malaysia - June 15

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

THE STAR (www.thestar.com.my)

-- Don't shake hands - that's the advice given by Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai to those having influenza-like symptoms.

-- Petra Perdana Bhd (PTRD.KL) will take delivery of some 14 new vessels in the next two years to expand its existing fleet and boost its ability to secure more oil and gas contracts, executive chairman Tengku Datuk Ibrahim Petra Tengku Indra Petra said.

BUSINESS TIMES (www.btimes.com.my)

-- Local cranemaker Handal Resources Bhd, which is en-route to a listing on Bursa Malaysia (BMYS.KL) next month, plans to expand into Sabah and Sarawak's oil and gas industry, after its success in Terengganu, executive chairman Mohsin Abdul Halim said.

-- Pelaburan Hartanah Bumiputera Bhd is in talks to buy a piece of prime land in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur, for an estimated 250 million ringgit, a deal that has yet to be done despite news about it three years ago, sources said.

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

-- Transport Minister Ong Tee Keat will make clear the government's position on the Port Klang Free Zone clear in a ministerial statement to the Dewan Rakyat (People Legislative) next Monday.

-- Younger Malaysians are losing out to the older generation in terms of top jobs that pay 500,000 ringgit or more annually, executive WorkPlace International country manager Tan Aik Seng said.

THE EDGE FINANCIAL DAILY (www.theedgemalaysia.com)

-- MGM Mirage Inc, a global casino operator, has held discussions with Genting group (GENT.KL) on the latter's possible participation in its Macau operations, as part of their overall talks towards forming a "very powerful" global alliance, MGM public affairs senior vice-president Alan M Feldman said.

-- Going forward Nestle (M) Bhd (NESM.KL) said that it expected to see an increasing trend of exports of products coming from Asean (Association of South East Asian Nations) countries, said Nestle managing director Sullivan O'Carroll.

THE MALAYSIAN RESERVE (www.themalaysianreserve.com)

-- Motor insurance in Malaysia requires a serious overhaul, with the perennially unprofitable their party coverage demanding a separate treatment altogether, says a senior industry executive.

-- Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM) (TLMM.KL) will begin conducting trials on its network traffic performance in July to finetune its fair usage policy and subscription packages, its executive vice-president for consumer service Jeremy Kung said.