PRESS DIGEST - Thai newspapers - August 23

BANGKOK Aug 23 (Reuters) - These are some of the leading stories in Thai newspapers on Monday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

POLITICS AND GENERAL NEWS

- Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva welcomed the chance to meet face-to-face with his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen to discuss a bilateral dispute, but insisted that there was no need for such talks to be mediated by a third party (THE NATION)

- Cabinet will on Tuesday consider a Finance Ministry request to raise public debt and a Tourism and Sports Ministry proposal to boost incentives from international film-making in Thailand (THE NATION)

- An architect of the multi-seat election system warned that switching back to single-seat constituencies might encourage rampant vote buying (THE NATION)

- Doctors have come up with a new scheme to battle supporters of a bill on compensation funding for victims of medical malpractice (BANGKOK POST)

- Chiang Mai is expected to see a revival of political activity again following the lifting of the state of emergency in the northern province (BANGKOK POST)

BUSINESS

- Almost a year of work to clear the way for industrial development to resume at the Map Ta Phut industrial estate is expected to culminate on Monday with the release of a list of harmful activities that will be subject to special screening (BANGKOK POST)

- Construction companies led by Italian-Thai Development ITD.BK look poised to win a 20-billion-baht ($635 million) contract to build the first phase of 4,500 housing units in the gulf state of Bahrain (BANGKOK POST)

- The 28-km Airport Rail Link will begin full commercial operations on Monday to reduce travel time between the inner city and Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport (BANGKOK POST)

- Minebea, the Tokyo-based maker of miniature bearings and motors, sees its 34.8 billion yen ($407 million) investment in Thailand, the first in 18 years since its constructed the first plant, as a gesture of confidence in Thailand and the recovery in the global hard disk drive market (THE NATION)

- Plans to convert mobile phone concessions to licenses will not be ready by the deadline, says a member of the committee responsible for the proposal (BANGKOK POST) ($1=31.52 baht) ($1=85.61 yen)