(MENAFN) On Thursday, Cambodia formally appealed to Malaysia to step in and help "swiftly" ensure the release of its troops currently being held by the Thai military.

According to a public statement issued by Prime Minister Hun Manet on his social media platform, the head of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces made the appeal to his Malaysian counterpart.

Malaysia is presently serving in the role of ceasefire mediator and overseer.

The request was made to prompt the Thai army chief to take action toward freeing the detained Cambodian troops.

Earlier in the week, Thailand and Cambodia reached an agreement on an unconditional truce during a diplomatic session hosted in Malaysia.

This marked a major development in efforts to end five days of intense and deadly border skirmishes that have resulted in numerous deaths and the displacement of tens of thousands of people.

Prime Minister Hun Manet expressed his hope that the Thai forces would release all Cambodian military personnel currently under their custody "as quickly as possible,” noting that the truce has been holding for a third consecutive day.

He also emphasized that the Cambodian side has been actively communicating with Thai authorities to push for the prompt handover of the detained troops.

"The well-being of the country's armed forces, as well as the civilians living in the affected areas, has been the highest priority of his government," he stated.

Hun Manet further explained that this concern for national security and civilian safety was the driving force behind his administration’s relentless efforts to secure a ceasefire promptly.

In a separate comment, Lt. Gen. Maly Socheata, a spokesperson for the Cambodian Defense Ministry, revealed that Cambodia has so far received the body of just one out of 21 soldiers captured by Thailand amid the border conflict.

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