PRESS DIGEST - Hong Kong - May 18

HONG KONG, May 18 (Reuters) - These are some of the leading stories in Hong Kong newspapers on Monday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

HONG KONG ECONOMIC TIMES

-- Buying appetite in the residential property market may be returning as demonstration flats for a new project attracted 18,000 viewers and 350 deposits in in two days.

-- The government is set to announce the retirement of Hong Kong Monetary Authority chief Joseph Yam in the coming weeks, according to an unidentified source. Yam is said to be retiring in September and Norman Chan, director of the Chief Executive Office, is seen as his likely successor.

APPLE DAILY

-- Thousands of exchange students from Hong Kong in H1N1 influenza-affected countries will be returning to Hong Kong in the next two weeks. They have been reminded to monitor their health status before boarding their return flights.

MING PAO DAILY NEWS

-- The number of shareholders with small holdings in Crocodile Garments (0122.HK) has apparently increased recently. The company earlier announced privatisation plans and the voting of this group of minority shareholders is a concern.

SING TAO DAILY

-- Mainland telecom firm China Unicom (0762.HK) says its 3G mobile service will be ready for trial use in 284 cities from September before a commercial launch planned for the end of this year.

-- Hong Kong Disneyland said it plans to hire some 700 part-time workers to help run its events in the summer, defying a downtrend in the job market.

SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST

-- Mainland property developer Powerlong Group plans to submit an application for a listing in Hong Kong within a month, aiming to raise up to HK$1.8 billion ($232.3 million), according to sources.

THE STANDARD

-- The Taiwan Stock Exchange expects to sign an agreement with Hong Kong within months to allow trading of Hong Kong exchange-traded funds backed by mainland shares in Taiwan's stock market, chairman Schive Chi said.

HONG KONG ECONOMIC JOURNAL

-- Chinese property developer SOHA China (0410.HK) said it would buy part of a Beijing commercial property project for about 1.77 billion yuan ($259.4 million).

SING PAO

-- Hong Kong-operated outbound tours for Japan have not yet been affected by the apparent new H1N1 flu outbreak in the Kansai region.

For Chinese newspapers, see...............[PRESS/CN]

For Taiwan newspapers, see............[PRESS/TW] (Editing by Jonathan Hopfner) ($1=7.750 Hong Kong Dollar) ($1=6.823 Yuan)