Thailand releases 18 Cambodian soldiers held since July

2025-12-31 13:26:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Thailand has released 18 Cambodian soldiers captured in July during border clashes, as part of a ceasefire the two countries agreed to on Saturday.

The handover was delayed by a day due to Thai concerns about suspected ceasefire violations, but was carried out after sustained Chinese diplomatic pressure to ensure the agreement was implemented.

Tensions along the Thailand-Cambodia border erupted earlier this month and continued for weeks, forcing nearly a million people to flee their homes.

The 18 Cambodian soldiers, dressed in civilian clothes, were greeted by well-wishers as they were escorted past a border checkpoint and handed over to Cambodian authorities.

Their captivity since July, during a previous round of deadly clashes, has inflamed nationalist sentiment in Cambodia, their release one of its government's main demands in ceasefire talks with Thailand.

On Wednesday, Thailand's foreign ministry said the release of the soldiers was a demonstration of goodwill and that it hopes Cambodia will return this goodwill through its own concrete actions.

Cambodia confirmed the return of its troops, with the defense ministry saying it hopes this will help build mutual trust and security.

One of the conditions of the ceasefire was that the 18 soldiers had to surrender within 72 hours, by noon local time on Tuesday. But that was delayed after Bangkok accused Phnom Penh of violating the ceasefire by sending more than 250 drones into Thailand on Sunday.

Despite Thailand's complaints, the recent ceasefire appears to be holding so far. The border dispute dates back more than a century, but tensions rose earlier this year after a group of Cambodian women sang patriotic songs at a disputed temple.

A Cambodian soldier was killed in a clash in May. Then, in July, five days of fierce fighting along the border left dozens of soldiers and civilians dead. Thousands more civilians were displaced.

The two countries agreed to a fragile ceasefire in July and signed it in October, brokered by US President Donald Trump. But the ceasefire collapsed when new tensions erupted earlier this month, with both sides accusing each other of breaking it. /CNA