PRESS DIGEST - Thai newspapers Feb 19

BANGKOK, Feb 19 (Reuters) - These are some of the leading stories in Thai newspapers on Tuesday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

TOP STORIES

- Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej locked horns with the Democrat Party over his role in shutting down newspapers when he was interior minister in the wake of the Oct. 6, 1976 student uprising at Thammasat University (BANGKOK POST)

- The government presented its policies to parliament, focusing on plans to revive or continue the populist policies introduced by deposed Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and to amend the 2007 constitution (BANGKOK POST)

- The Democrat Party called on the government to show a clear stance on capital controls imposed in late 2006 and a specific time-line for large infrastructure projects (BANGKOK POST)

- Public Health Minister Chaiya Sasomsab's plan to cancel compulsory licences on patented medicines came under attack from opposition Democrats (BANGKOK POST)

- Health advocates and activist groups around the world support Thailand in enforcing compulsory licences on patented cancer drugs, according to Medicins Sans Frontieres (THE NATION)

- Thailand is among 20 Asian Pacific countries in which political or policy risk received higher attention by Standard and Poor's Ratings Services (THE NATION)

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