PRESS DIGEST - Hong Kong - April 6

HONG KONG, April 6 (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.

APPLE DAILY

-- Hong Kong may lose its edge in the air cargo network within three to five years if the government does not take action to protect it, said the vice-chairman of Kerry Logistics, the cargo forwarding unit of Kerry Properties (0683.HK).

-- Brokerage KGI Asia will pay out HK$1.6 million ($206,400) in refunds to customers who bought Lehman Brothers minibonds at their original prices, the Securities and Futures Commission said on Sunday.

MING PAO DAILY NEWS

-- Fashion retailer Esprit (0330.HK) said it will exit seven countries in Europe this year and expand its number of franchises at a slower rate than before.

SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST

-- Bank of East Asia (0023.HK) is in talks with Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (1398.HK) (601398.SS) to take over its majority stake in their jointly held securities unit, ICEA Securities, a source said.

-- A representative of an international organisation promoting Tibetan self-determination said she had been refused a visa to visit mainland China.

THE STANDARD

-- More than 2,000 demonstrators joined a protest march against racial discrimination in Hong Kong.

-- Citigroup's (C.N) Hong Kong unit will not lay off staff or cut salaries this year despite the tough economic environment, according to the chief executive of the Hong Kong arm.

HONG KONG DAILY NEWS

-- Some analysts expect Chinese insurer Ping An's (2318.HK) (601318.SS) net profits to plunge more than 90 percent. The firm will report its results later this week.

WEN WEI PO

-- Steelmaker China Oriental Group Company (0581.HK) posted a 96 percent fall in net profit to 44 million yuan ($6.44 million) in 2008, after margins on steel products plunged 75 percent.

TA KUNG PAO

-- More than 270 foreign-funded businesses in China's Guangdong province shut down or moved out within the first two months of the year, according to provincial trade officials. (Editing by Jonathan Hopfner)

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