PRESS DIGEST - Malaysia - June 30

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)

-- Illegal mini casinos have mushroomed all over the Klang Valley recently following the introduction of new software by a local criminal gang linked to syndicates in Hong Kong and the Philippines, sources said.

-- National savings bank Bank Simpanan Nasional (BSN) is on target to achieve a net profit of 188 million ringgit this year compared with 168 million ringgit last year, its chairman Abdul Azim Mohd Zabidi said.

BUSINESS TIMES (www.btimes.com.my)

-- Plantations and property group Hap Seng Consolidated Bhd (HAPS.KL) has offered to buy half of Menara Citibank, and office building located at the heart of the city centre, near the Petronas Twin Towers, sources said.

-- The long-awaited listing of the Federal Land Development Authority (Felda), the world's largest plantations owner and manager, is still on the cards, Prime Minister Najib Razak said.

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

-- Prime Minister Najib Razak will announce key measures today (Tuesday) to scale back the Foreign Investment Committee and further free up the economy to compete in a changed global environment .

-- The 217th (special) meeting of the Conference of Rulers, which was held at Istana Negara in Kuala Lumpur on Monday, has decided to get the views of the respective state religious councils first before arriving at a decision on the matter of conversion of minors to Islam.

THE EDGE FINANCIAL DAILY (www.theedgemalaysia.com)

-- Water concessiona Puncak Niaga (M) Sdn Bhd, Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Syabas) and Syarikat Pengeluar Air Sungai Selangor Sdn Bhd (Splash) have rejected the Selangor state government's latest offer to take over their assets and liabilities.

THE MALAYSIAN RESERVE (www.themalaysianreserve.com)

-- Valuecap Sdn Bhd, the government-owned fund manager set up some seven years ago, would have fully drawn down the five billion ringgit loan given to it by the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) in 2008, the source said.

THE SUN (www.sun2surf.com)

-- Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM) (TLMM.KL) is in discussions with 13 potential companies for its high-speed broadband wholesale services, TM group chief executive officer Zamzamzairani MOhd Isa said.

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