Cambodia advices Thailand to give back soldiers taken in border clashes

(MENAFN) Cambodia has called on Thailand to return 20 soldiers captured hours after a ceasefire ended the deadliest border clashes between the two countries in decades. The truce, agreed on Tuesday, followed five days of fighting over disputed border temples along their 800-kilometre frontier, which left at least 43 people dead.

Cambodian Defence Ministry spokeswoman Maly Socheata said negotiations were ongoing to secure the safe return of the soldiers, who were taken around 7:50 am on Tuesday, nearly eight hours after the ceasefire came into effect. She urged Thailand to release all 20 personnel as soon as possible.

Thailand stated that the detained soldiers were being treated according to international humanitarian law and military regulations, and would be returned once the border situation stabilizes.

UN rights chief Volker Turk called on both countries to fully respect the ceasefire and take immediate steps to build confidence and peace, addressing the root causes of the conflict.

The truce was brokered in Malaysia, with intervention from US President Donald Trump, whose trade incentives both nations are courting to avoid high tariffs.

The clashes forced nearly 300,000 people to flee their homes, with Thailand reporting 15 military and 15 civilian deaths, and Cambodia confirming five military and eight civilian fatalities. This death toll far exceeds previous border skirmishes from 2008 to 2011, which killed 28 people.

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