BANGKOK, Oct 30 (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

- Ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra will not act as a formal adviser to the People Power Party to avoid drawing unnecessary criticism, party spokesman Kuthep Saikrachang said (BANGKOK POST)

- The Election Commission softened its stance on election directives that restrict the media in its coverage of political parties and their election campaigns (THE NATION)

- More than 200 villagers have migrated or planned to move from Bannang Sata district in the southern province of Yala in what could be linked with the government's recently intensified crackdown on insurgents (BANGKOK POST)

- The Mahachon Party is slated to field its 15 candidates under the Chat Thai Party banner to avoid becoming marginalised by the outcome of the Dec. 23 general election (THE NATION)

- The bird's nest industry in Thailand is a conduit for laundering more than 100 million baht a year, according to a study by the Thailand Research Fund (THE NATION)

BUSINESS

- The Charoen Pokphan group plans to expand its investment in Vietnam in a big way, intending to pump $3.6 billion into food processing, real estate, telecom, banking and retailing over the next five years (THE NATION)

- PTT Exploration and Production <PTTE.BK> and Chevron <CVX.N> will increase output by 660 million cubic feet per day after the Energy Ministry granted them 10-year production extentions (BANGKOK POST)

- Thailand has become Microsoft Corp's <MSFT.O> worldwide healthcare research centre following the company's purchase of software and assets to streamline administrative and medical record-keeping at Bangkok's Bumrungrad Hospital <BH.BK> (THE NATION)

- Auto parts supplier American Axle and Manufacturing <AXL.N>, which recently opened new plants in China and Poland, plans to add factories in Thailand and India as part of its push into emerging markets, a company executive said (THE NATION)

- The number of non-performing assets this year is expected to increase due to stricter Bank of Thailand rules, more auctions by financial institutions and more transfers of non-performing loans to asset management institutions (BANGKOK POST)

- The Thai stock market rallied to a fresh 11-year high on Monday, driven by a continuing flow of funds, particularly into blue-chip energy stocks, on expectations of a rate cut by the Federal Reserve at its meeting on Wednesday (THE NATION) ($1=34.1 Baht)

** Looking for more information from local sources? Factiva.com has eight Thai sources including the Bangkok Post and Business Day.

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