PRESS DIGEST - Malaysia - April 2

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 leaders of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (People Justice Party), Democratic Action Party (DAP) and Parti Islam se-Malaysia (PAS) have proposed to consolidate their cooperation by forming Pakatan Rakyat (People's Alliance), Parti Keadilan Rakyat adviser Anwar Ibrahim said.

- Malaysia's crude palm oil futures tumbled in volatile trade on Tuesday, tracking the overnight drop in the soybean market.

NEW STRAITS TIMES

- Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is expected to meet Sabah Barisan Nasional (National Front) leaders in Kota Kinabalu on April 7 to discuss the current political situation, Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman said.

BUSINESS TIMES (www.btimes.com.my)

- Singapore's real estate investment arm plans to sell Menara Standard Chartered at Jalan Sultan Ismail in Kuala Lumpur for about 300 million ringgit, seven years after it bought the property, sources said.

- Usaha Tegas Sdn Bhd, a firm owned by billionaire T. Ananda Krishnan, has bought 35.2 percent of Sri Lanka Telecom plc for $299 million (955.2 million ringgit), the company said in a statement.

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

- Palm oil futures on the Bursa Malaysia Derivatives plummeted in a record intra-day drop, tracking overnight losses in soybean prices after the US government announced higher soybean planting and stronger supplies for 2008.

THE MALAYSIAN RESERVE (news@themalaysianreserve.com)

- Malaysian Resources Corp Bhd (MYRS.KL) is planning to issue up to one billion ringgit worth of bonds to fund its Eastern Dispersal Link project in south Johor in the next few weeks, a senior company official said.

THE SUN

- OCBC Bank (Malaysia) Bhd has received good response since introducing a cheque-writing software which enabled businesses to print out cheques at their own premises, OCBC Bank said in a statement.

UTUSAN MALAYSIA (www.utusan.com.my)