PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — The Cambodian government on Friday confirmed its temporary takeover of management of the country's air traffic control company after one of its Thai employees was arrested last week on a spying charge.
The move complicates a diplomatic row between Thailand and Cambodia over Phnom Penh's recent welcome to former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, a fugitive from Thai justice.
Tekreth Samrach, a deputy minister of the Council of Ministers, said the government took the action against Thai-owned Cambodia Traffic Air Services — CATS — for the sake of national security and flight safety. Nine Thai employees of the firm were also banned from the workplace, he added.
A CATS employee, Siwarak Chutipong, was arrested last week for allegedly passing secret information about Thaksin's flight schedule to the Thai Embassy. Thaksin is a fugitive on a Thai corruption charge.
Cambodia this month named Thaksin an adviser on economic affairs. The appointment, and a subsequent visit by Thaksin, set off a diplomatic imbroglio in which the two countries recalled their ambassadors. A Thai court last year sentenced Thaksin in absentia to two years in prison for violating a conflict of interest law, but he fled into exile before the verdict.
Relations were strained further when Cambodia rejected a formal request from Bangkok to extradite Thaksin. The situation worsened when Cambodia expelled a Thai diplomat and arrested Sirawak.
"We need to secure the national security of our country and our leaders' safety. This is a national security concern — very important," Tekreth Samrach said at a press briefing, adding that the measures against CATS were only temporary.
He said the takeover was implemented about a week ago and legal experts are now studying how long it should last, or whether the government should end the concession for air traffic control held by the Thai company Samart.
The nine Thai employees have not been fired, he said, but only asked not to come into the CATS office.
Kao Sopha, a Cambodian lawyer for the detained Thai man, said separately that he would submit an application Monday to have his client released on bail.
He said that Siwarak was in good health when he went to see him Friday morning at Prey Sar prison, but that he strongly desires to be released.
It is not clear when Siwarak might face trial. Cambodian officials say he is still under investigation.
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