Thailand releases 18 Cambodian soldiers as ceasefire holds

ISTANBUL

Thailand on Wednesday released 18 Cambodian soldiers it had detained since July, officials said, as the ceasefire between the two nations continued to hold.

The move came after the two countries declared a ceasefire Saturday after nearly three weeks of border clashes that killed at least 99 people, including civilians.

Thailand “repatriated the 18 detained Cambodian soldiers to Cambodia,” said a statement from the Thai Foreign Ministry, noting that the repatriation was “undertaken as a demonstration of goodwill and confidence-building”

“Thailand hopes that Cambodia will reciprocate this goodwill through its concrete actions to promote sustained peace between the two countries,” the statement added.

Cambodian Defense Ministry spokeswoman Lt. Gen Maly Socheata said that the release of the soldiers “creates an environment conducive to peace, stability, and the full normalization of relations for the benefit of both nations.”The

Cambodian official news agency Agence Kampuchea Presse also confirmed the return of the soldiers after 155 days in custody.

The soldiers were “warmly welcomed,” upon their arrival at the Prum International Border Crossing in the Pailin province, the news agency said.

Under the ceasefire agreement, all 18 soldiers held since the border clashes in July — in which at least 48 people were killed — were to be returned to Cambodia if the ceasefire remained fully intact for the initial 72 hours.

Separately, Thai Navy spokesman Rear Adm. Parach Rattanachaipan said that the navy captured a Thai-owned oil tanker in the Gulf of Thailand, suspecting it was trying to smuggle fuel to Cambodia, according to Thai PBS.