BANGKOK/PHNOM PENH, Dec 31 (Reuters) – Thailand on Wednesday released 18 Cambodian soldiers it had detained since July under the renewed ceasefire the two countries agreed on the weekend to end a border conflict, Cambodian and Thai authorities said.
The Southeast Asian neighbours agreed on a ceasefire that took effect at noon (0500 GMT) on Saturday, halting 20 days of fighting that killed at least 101 people and displaced more than half a million on both sides, and included fighter-jet sorties, exchanges of rocket fire and artillery barrages.
The soldiers were due to be returned on Tuesday, but Thailand delayed the process over alleged breaches of the ceasefire deal, which Cambodia denied.
Cambodian Defence Ministry spokesperson Maly Socheata said the soldiers were handed over at a border checkpoint at 10 a.m. (0300 GMT) on Wednesday after 155 days in Thai custody.
Thailand’s Foreign Ministry said the soldiers had been treated “in accordance with international humanitarian law and principles” during their time in detention.
The border clashes reignited early this month, following the breakdown in a ceasefire deal that U.S. President Donald Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim helped broker to halt a previous round of conflict in July.
(Reporting by Chayut Setboonsarng, Panu Wongcha-um and Reuters staff; Editing by John Mair)
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