Thailand releases 18 Cambodian soldiers held since July
Thailand's foreign ministry says the move was a "demonstration of goodwill and confidence-building".
Cambodian soldiers, who had been captured by Thai soldiers in July, are greeted after their release, as they walk at a checkpoint along the border with Thailand, in Cambodia's Pailin province on Dec 1, 2025. (Photo: STR/AFP)
PHNOM PENH: Eighteen Cambodian soldiers received a hero's welcome home on Wednesday (Dec 31), after Thailand released them as part of a truce deal that ended weeks of deadly fighting along their contested frontier.
A decades-old border dispute between the Southeast Asian neighbours erupted into military clashes several times this year, with the latest round of fighting in December killing dozens of people and displacing more than a million.
Some of the 18 soldiers, who were captured by Thailand and held for five months as prisoners of war, smiled, waved and gestured with their palms pressed together to cheering crowds through the windows of a bus in the border province of Pailin, video from Cambodian state television showed.
Hundreds of well-wishers lined the streets of the capital, hollering and waving national flags, as a caravan of mini-buses shuttled the returned men and teary-eyed relatives through the city, video from Cambodian state television showed, ahead of an expected meeting with Prime Minister Hun Manet.
One woman in the crowd, Im Sivorn, 53, told AFP their homecoming was like a gift for the new year.
"As a Cambodian, I am very happy to welcome these 18 heroic soldiers back in the country," she said.
Voeung Vy, the father of one of the soldiers captured in late July, said he would welcome his son home in Phnom Penh.
"I am so happy. I can't wait to see him. I miss him so much," the 51-year-old told AFP.
Cambodia's defence ministry said the 18 soldiers were "released and safely returned to the motherland" through a border crossing on Wednesday morning after being detained for 155 days.
Thailand's foreign ministry also confirmed their repatriation, saying it was done "as a demonstration of goodwill and confidence-building", according to a statement.
Phnom Penh said it "remains hopeful that this release will significantly contribute to building mutual trust".
"HEROIC SOLDIERS"
The Southeast Asian neighbours agreed a truce on Saturday, ending renewed military clashes - with artillery bombardments and air strikes - that spread to nearly every border province on both sides.
The conflict stems from a territorial dispute over the colonial-era demarcation of their 800km border, where both sides claim centuries-old temple ruins.
Under the truce signed on Saturday, Cambodia and Thailand pledged to cease fire, freeze troop movements and cooperate on demining efforts along their border.
They also agreed to allow civilians displaced from border areas by three weeks of fighting to return home as soon as possible, while Thailand was to return the 18 captive Cambodian soldiers within 72 hours, if the ceasefire held.
Cambodia has said its soldiers were captured by Thai forces on Jul 29 - nearly eight hours after a ceasefire that halted five days of deadly clashes went into effect.
Five months on, it was unclear whether or when Bangkok would free the 18 men, after Thailand accused Cambodia of violating their most recent pact by flying more than 250 drones over its territory on Sunday night, and a three-day truce observation period ended on Tuesday without an announcement of the soldiers' release.
But notice came from Phnom Penh on Wednesday, with Cambodian information minister Neth Pheaktra confirming "our 18 heroic soldiers" had arrived back on Cambodian soil.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which supported the soldiers' repatriation as a humanitarian observer, welcomed their release.
ICRC president Mirjana Spoljaric said in a statement that their return home allowed families to be reunited and built confidence between the two countries, "supporting the path to lasting peace".
DISPUTED BORDER
The United States, China and Malaysia brokered a truce to end that round of fighting, but the ceasefire was short-lived.
In October, US President Donald Trump jetted to Malaysia to oversee the signing of a follow-on declaration between Thailand and Cambodia, touting new trade deals after the neighbours agreed to prolong their truce.
That pact said that Thailand would "promptly release" the captured Cambodian soldiers, calling them "prisoners of war".
But Bangkok suspended the agreement the following month, after Thai soldiers were wounded by landmines while on patrol at the border.
While the two nations agreed on Saturday to stop fighting, they still need to resolve the demarcation of their disputed border.
Cambodia said on Monday it had called on Thailand to join a bilateral meeting in Cambodia in early January "to discuss and continue survey and demarcation work".
But Bangkok said on Tuesday that the task may need to wait for the next government, after Thailand holds general elections in February.
