Thailand releases 18 Cambodian soldiers under renewed border ceasefire

Thailand on Wednesday released 18 Cambodian soldiers who had been held since July, following the implementation of a renewed ceasefire agreed by the two countries over the weekend to end a protracted border conflict.

The ceasefire, which took effect at noon on Saturday (0500 GMT), brought a temporary halt to 20 days of clashes that left at least 101 people dead and forced more than 500,000 civilians to flee their homes. Fighting during the conflict included fighter-jet sorties, rocket exchanges and artillery bombardments along the border.

The soldiers were scheduled to be returned on Tuesday, but Thailand had initially delayed the handover over alleged violations of the ceasefire, which Cambodia denied.

Cambodian Defence Ministry spokesperson Maly Socheata confirmed that the soldiers were handed over at a border checkpoint at 10 a.m. (0300 GMT) on Wednesday after 155 days in Thai custody.

Thailand’s Foreign Ministry stated that the soldiers had been treated humanely during their detention.

The recent clashes had reignited earlier this month following the breakdown of a ceasefire deal brokered in July with the mediation of U.S. President Donald Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. The renewed agreement signals a cautious step toward stabilising the tense border region between the two Southeast Asian neighbours.

With agency inputs