Thailand has released 18 Cambodian soldiers after 155 days in detention, following a renewed ceasefire agreement over the weekend.
The move comes after weeks of deadly clashes along the shared border that displaced hundreds of thousands of civilians.
Cambodian Defence Ministry spokesperson Maly Socheata confirmed that the soldiers were transferred at a border checkpoint at 10 a.m. local time on Wednesday. Sok Lou, governor of Battambang province, described the returnees as “heroic soldiers.”
Thailand’s Foreign Ministry stated that the detainees were treated “in accordance with international humanitarian law and principles” during their time in custody.
The release was part of a ceasefire deal agreed by Thailand and Cambodia on Saturday, which stipulated that the 18 soldiers would be released if the truce held for 72 hours. The handover was delayed by one day due to allegations of ceasefire violations by Cambodia, which the Cambodian government denied.
Background of border clashes
The renewed ceasefire ended around 20 days of clashes along the Cambodia-Thailand border, which killed at least 101 people and displaced over 500,000 civilians. Fighting included fighter jet sorties, artillery barrages, and rocket exchanges.
The clashes flared again this month after a prior ceasefire, brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, collapsed.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) supervised the repatriation of the soldiers. Mirjana Spoljaric, ICRC president, said the release “allows families to be reunited and marks an important step in translating the commitments outlined in the Joint Statement into action.”
