Thailand Releases Cambodian POWs Under Ceasefire Agreement

By Staff, Agencies

Thailand on Wednesday released 18 Cambodian prisoners of war who had been held for five months, implementing a key clause of a ceasefire agreement aimed at ending weeks of fighting along the Thai-Cambodian border.

The soldiers were handed over at the same border checkpoint between Thailand’s Chanthaburi province and Cambodia’s Pailin province where the ceasefire was signed on Saturday by the two countries’ defense ministers.

In a statement, Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the repatriation was carried out as a gesture of goodwill and confidence-building, and in line with international humanitarian principles.

Cambodian authorities welcomed the move, saying it would help restore stability and normalize relations after months of hostilities linked to competing territorial claims.

Thai officials reiterated that the detention of the soldiers had been permitted under the Geneva Conventions, which allow prisoners of war to be held until the end of hostilities.

They added that the detainees were granted access to the International Committee of the Red Cross and afforded protections under international law.

The issue of the captured soldiers had become a major source of tension, with Cambodian officials highlighting it to rally domestic support during the standoff.

On Wednesday, Cambodia’s Defense Ministry said the government had fulfilled its promise that no soldier would be abandoned.

The freed soldiers were flown to Phnom Penh, where they were received by family members and later met with Prime Minister Hun Manet, as crowds gathered to celebrate their return.