PRESS DIGEST - Malaysia - July 7

Following are the main stories in Malaysian newspapers. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

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

- Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on Sunday pledged to ensure that Malaysia would continue to be peaceful and safe despite perceptions to the contrary.

- Private investigator P. Balasubramaniam could have been detained by "interested parties", Federal Criminal Investigation Department Director Bakri Zinin said.

BUSINESS TIMES (www.btimes.com.my)

- Big plantation companies are starting to plant rubber trees on hilly land as rubber prices hit records, Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Peter Chin Fah Kui said.

THE STAR (www.thestar.com.my)

- Leaders of the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition and opposition alliance Pakatan Rakyat agree that there has been enough of political bickering in the country and it is time for them to work to alleviate the people's problems.

- Logistics firm Freight Management Holdings Bhd (FMHB.KL: Quote, Profile, Research), which is finalising a joint-venture company in Indonesia, also plans to expand its freight services in another South-East Asian country by next year, Managing Director Chew Chong Keat said.