PRESS DIGEST-Taiwan - March 26

TAIPEI, March 26 (Reuters) - Taiwan newspapers carried the following stories on Thursday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

CHINA TIMES

-- February sales at the Southern Taiwan Science Park rose 10.63 percent from a month earlier, showing signs that an economic slump in the island's technology sector is bottoming out, the National Science Council reported.

-- A Taiwan interpreter has been named a finalist in a tourism promotion contest in Australia.

UNITED DAILY NEWS

-- Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou will likely participate in a military drill in May or June, government officials said.

-- The ratio of Taiwan's credit card purchases to overall consumption dropped to its lowest level in nearly five years due to weak consumer confidence amid the economic downturn, the statistics agency said.

LIBERTY TIMES

-- The U.S. government has appointed William Stanton, a top diplomat in South Korea, as director of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), a de facto embassy, but AIT declined to comment on the appointment.

COMMERCIAL TIMES

-- The Chinese government is expected to resume its "Golden Week" holiday beginning on May 1 to bolster the mainland's economy, which is likely to benefit Taiwan's shipping and tourism industries.

ECONOMIC DAILY NEWS

-- About 30 companies, including flat-panel makers Innolux Display (3481.TW) and Hannstar Display (6116.TW), are planning to raise a total of T$90 billion ($2.66 billion) via rights....[PRESS/CN] ($1=33.80 Taiwan Dollar)