Cambodia has demanded the swift return of 20 of its soldiers captured by Thai forces, just hours after a ceasefire brought a halt to the fiercest border clashes between the two Southeast Asian nations in decades.
The Cambodian Ministry of National Defence confirmed on Thursday that negotiations are under way with Thailand to secure the release of the troops, who were reportedly apprehended early Tuesday morning after they allegedly crossed into Thai-held territory near the contested border.
“We will do our best to continue negotiations with the Thai side in order to bring all our soldiers back home safely and as soon as possible,” said ministry spokesperson Maly Socheata at a press briefing. “We call on the Thai side to send all 20 military personnel back to Cambodia as soon as possible.”
However, Thailand appears intent on subjecting the detainees to legal procedures before any handover. At a briefing held at the Royal Thai Army headquarters on Thursday, army spokesperson Major-General Winthai Suvaree said 18 Cambodian soldiers were being held – a slightly different figure from Cambodia’s count – and that they would be treated according to international legal standards.
“The soldiers would be swiftly returned once the legal procedures are completed,” Suvaree was quoted as saying by The Nation newspaper. The exact nature of the legal processes remains unclear, though sources indicate a thorough review of the incident is underway.
Thai authorities have said the detained soldiers are being treated in line with international humanitarian law and military regulations. The government also stated that repatriation would take place once tensions along the border subside.
The ceasefire, brokered by Malaysia and in place since early Tuesday, followed several days of deadly cross-border fighting involving long-range rockets, artillery, and airstrikes. The skirmishes prompted the displacement of nearly 300,000 people and inflicted significant damage across rural areas on both sides of the frontier.
Thailand confirmed the deaths of 15 soldiers and 15 civilians during the clashes, while Cambodia reported losing eight civilians and five soldiers.
Despite mutual accusations of ceasefire violations, the truce has largely held, with diplomatic efforts continuing to defuse tensions. United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, has called on both countries to respect the ceasefire and prioritise peace-building efforts.
“This crucial agreement must be fully respected, in good faith, by both sides, as diplomatic efforts continue, in a bid to resolve the root causes of the conflict,” Türk said in a statement.
The disputed border region, a mix of jungle and farmland, has long been a flashpoint between Cambodia and Thailand, but the scale and intensity of the recent violence have raised alarms across the region. The international community is watching closely as negotiations over troop movements, sovereignty claims, and humanitarian access continue.
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