THAILAND released 18 Cambodian prisoners of war (PoWs) at 10 a.m. today (Dec. 31) as the 72-hour ceasefire signed last Saturday passed without major mishap, Naewna newspaper said.
They have been held since the first round of fighting last July and were set free at Ban Phak Krad permanent border checkpoint, Pong Nam Ron district, Chanthaburi province.
In releasing the 18 PoWs the Thai Foreign Affairs Ministry said the following:
“The Thai side has sent 18 Cambodian soldiers, who were detained by Thai authorities, back to their homeland. This action is in accordance with Article 11 of the Joint Statement between Thailand and Cambodia, signed at the 3rd Special Session of the General Border Committee on December 27, 2025, which stipulates that Thailand will repatriate the 18 Cambodian soldiers to Cambodia following a continuous 72-hour ceasefire. This is also in line with the spirit of the Joint Declaration between Thailand and Cambodia signed on October 26, 2025, in Kuala Lumpur.
“Since being detained by Thai authorities, the 18 Cambodian soldiers have been cared for in accordance with international humanitarian law, including the 1949 Geneva Conventions and the International Red Cross Committee’s (ICRC) humanitarian guidelines and practices. Thai authorities have allowed the ICRC periodic visits and coordinated the delivery of letters from the Cambodian soldiers to their families.
“The repatriation of the Cambodian soldiers is consistent with the Third Geneva Convention concerning the Treatment of Prisoners of War. Thai authorities conducted health checks prior to repatriation and informed them of their rights under the Geneva Conventions to ensure their safety. The repatriation was voluntary, safe, and dignified, and the ICRC informed the families of the Cambodian soldiers about today’s repatriation. Furthermore, the ICRC and Asean Observers (AOT) observed the repatriation.”
“I can confirm that our 18 heroic soldiers have safely arrived on Cambodian soil at around 10 a.m.,” Cambodia’s information minister Neth Pheaktra said in an AFP report publised by CNA.
“I am so happy. I can’t wait to see him. I miss him so much,” Voeung Vy, the father of one of the returned soldiers, told AFP.
He said he would welcome his son home in the capital, Phnom Penh.
CAPTIONS:
Top, Front Page and further below – The 18 Khmer PoWs being released. Photos – Naewna
First below – 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 and published by CNA
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