BANGKOK, July 18 (Reuters) - These are some of the leading stories in Thai newspapers on Wednesday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy. TOP STORIES - A bomb in Yala, one of the three provinces where most of the violence has occurred in Thailand's restive south, killed one policeman and wounded at least 20 people, including three journalists at the scene to report on a blast about half an hour earlier (THE NATION) - The Election Commission is set to speed up its public relations work on the Aug 19 public referendum on the draft charter after a recent poll showed most people were not aware of the date (BANGKOK POST) - Thailand has become the first foreign country to enter into a series of military exercises and training with China (THE NATION) - Labour advocates are demanding more action to safeguard job seekers against being lured into virtual slavery on fishing trawlers (BANGKOK POST) BUSINESS - Finance Minister Chalongphob Sussangkarn rebutted calls from a top economist for a sharp rate cut in interest rates to stem the baht's rise, but said other measures were being considered (THE NATION) - The debt market largely expects the Bank of Thailand to keep its policy one-day repurchase rate at 3.5 percent on Wednesday (BANGKOK POST) - The appreciation of the baht is having a ripple effect on the agricultural sector with farmers being forced to sell their products at low prices, the Board of Trade said (BANGKOK POST) - The Federation of Thai Industries has called on the government to increase capital liquidity for operators in the real sector and small-and medium-sized enterprises affected by the strong baht (BANGKOK POST) - Tata Group, India's largest conglomerate with annual sales of $50 billion, will invest 3.5 billion baht ($105 million) in Tata Steel (Thailand) <TSTH.BK> to produce an additional 500,000 tonnes of liquid steel per year (THE NATION) - Singapore's CapitaLand <CATL.SI> is looking to expand its investment in Thailand by focusing on the retail sector, financial services and commercial property (THE NATION) - Tisco Bank <TISC.BK> expects its lending to grow 17 percent this year, on a par with last year, as credit demand gradually picks up in the second half following a rise of consumer confidence and an improved political outlook (BANGKOK POST) ($1=33.3 Baht)** Looking for more information from local sources? Factiva.com has eight Thai sources including the Bangkok Post and Business Day.
