PRESS DIGEST - Thai newspapers - April 4

BANGKOK, April 4 (Reuters) - These are some of the leading stories in Thai newspapers on Friday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

TOP STORIES

- Justice Minister Sompong Amornwiwat paid a visit to former Police Cmmissioner Chalor Kerdthes in Bangkok Special Prison in what is seen as the latest bid to salvage relations with Riyadh (BANGKOK POST)

- The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand insisted its operations would not be disrupted by the suspension of natural gas flows from Burma (THE NATION)

- The seemingly endless quest for a new parliamentary headquarters has taken a new turn, this time leading planners to Samut Prakan amid speculation that personal interests may be involved in selection of the new site (BANGKOK POST)

- Rice exporters said they would ask the Commerce Ministry to set a minimum export price to help the management of overseas sales and prevent speculation (THE NATION)

BUSINESS

- With expectations that inflationary pressures will pose a global threat this year, Merrill Lynch MER.N has offered five ways to trade as commodity prices rise (THE NATION)

- Sweden supports the passage of an ASEAN-European Union free-trade agreement to help Swedish companies compete better in the local market, according to Gunnar Wieslander, the Swedish State Secretary for Foreign Affairs (BANGKOK POST)

- The Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Co-operatives (BAAC) is preparing to change its strategy for handling the debt suspension programme to ensure farmers repay debts (BANGKOK POST)

- Foreign capital has been flowing into Thailand, particularly into the bond market, following the removal of the central bank's 30-percent reserve requirement on March 3 (THE NATION)

* Looking for more information from local sources? Factiva.com has eight Thai sources including the Bangkok Post and The Nation.