PRESS DIGEST - Malaysia - Nov 3

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)

- The Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) shook up its central committee, sacking four opponents of under-fire party president Ong Tee Keat.

- New home buyers expected to make higher payments for their loans with some banks increasing their mortgage rates early this month.

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

- The Registrar of Societies (ROS) on Tuesday ruled that Chua Soi Lek is still deputy president of Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA).

- The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission charged six individuals from both sides of the political divide with corruption and other offences.

BUSINESS TIMES (www.btimes.com.my)

- Conglomerate Sime Darby Bhd (SIME.KL) aims to complete infrastructure work for its groundwater project in Perak by end-2012 and start supplying 500 million litres a day to Selangor by January of the following year, head of water management Azuhan Mohamed said.

- Perception is a stumbling block that Malaysiua will have to overcome in its efforts to woo foreign investors to the country, said Credit Suisse's vice-chairman for Asia-Pacific, Jose Isidro N. (Lito) Camacho.

THE EDGE FINANCIAL DAILY (www.theedgedaily.com.my)

- Housing loan rates are expected to trend upwards in the not-so-distant future as the banking industry moves towards risk-based pricing in determining interest rates that are more sustainable for the industry, said EON Bank group chief executive officer Michael Lor.

THE MALAYSIAN RESERVE (www.themalaysianreserve.com)

- Malaysia is close to carving out a 20 percent share of the Islamic banking industry in 2010, after achieving 19 percent at end-June this year, Prime Minister Najib Razak said.

THE SUN (www.sun2surf.com)

- The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission went on a prosecution blitz on Tuesday, charging six people, including a Member of Parliament, a former assemblyman and political aides.

UTUSAN MALAYSIA (www.utusan.com.my)

- Top lender Malayan Banking Bhd (Maybank) (MBBM.KL) is open to collaborating with Turkey's Bank Asya in areas like trade finance but is not interested in taking up an equity stake, its chief executive officer Abdul Wahid Omar said.

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($1=3.400 Malaysian Ringgit)