Cambodia denies premier's daughter taking stake in air traffic firm

Phnom Penh - Cambodia rejected Monday a Thai media claim that the daughter of Prime Minister Hun Sen is to take a stake in a Thai firm at the centre of a spying row. A cabinet statement said the government's management of Cambodia Air Traffic Services (CATS), a Thai-owned air traffic control firm, is temporary.

However, the statement did not indicate how long the government's hold over CATS would last.

"The spokesman wishes to stress, once again, that the Royal Government of Cambodia appointed its officials to temporarily supervise and manage the company, only to protect the national security and safety for Cambodian leaders," it said.

A Thai employee of CATS was arrested November 12 for allegedly leaking the flight details of Thailand's fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra during his recent visit to Cambodia.

Thaksin was in Cambodia in his capacity as an economic adviser to the Cambodian government and as a personal adviser to Hun Sen.

The two appointments and Thaksin's visit sparked a diplomatic row that plunged relations between the neighbouring countries to their lowest level in years, as each government recalled its ambassador.