Cambodia urges Thailand to return soldiers taken in border clashes
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Cambodian soldiers detained by the Thai military having their meal on July 29. Cambodia said on July 31 that talks were under way for the release of 20 soldiers.
PHOTO: EPA
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Phnom Penh – Cambodia called on Thailand on July 31 to return 20 soldiers who it said were taken captive hours after a ceasefire to halt the neighbours’ bloodiest border clashes in decades.
The two countries agreed a truce on July 29
Bangkok said there were no reports of violence during the night up to 7am, after both sides traded allegations of ceasefire breaches
Cambodian Defence Ministry spokeswoman Maly Socheata said on July 31 that talks were under way for the release of 20 soldiers.
“We will do our best to continue negotiations with the Thai side in order to bring all our soldiers back home safely and as soon as possible,” she told a briefing.
“We call on the Thai side to send all 20 military personnel back to Cambodia as soon as possible.”
The troops were captured around 7.50am on July 29, she said – nearly eight hours after the ceasefire came into effect.
Thailand’s government said on July 30 the detained soldiers were being treated in line with international humanitarian law and military regulations, and would be returned when the border situation stabilises.
UN rights chief Volker Turk urged the neighbouring nations to implement their ceasefire deal in full and take rapid steps to build confidence and peace.
“This crucial agreement must be fully respected, in good faith, by both sides, as diplomatic efforts continue in a bid to resolve the root causes of the conflict,” he said.
The agreement to stop fighting was sealed in Malaysia after an intervention by US President Donald Trump – who is being courted by both Thailand and Cambodia for a trade deal
Nearly 300,000 people fled their homes as the two sides battled with jets, rockets and artillery along the rural border region, marked by a ridge of hills surrounded by wild jungle and agricultural land where locals farm rubber and rice.
Thailand has said 15 of its soldiers and 15 civilians were killed, while Cambodia has confirmed eight civilian and five military deaths.
The death toll is significantly higher than in the last major flare-up of violence on the border, when 28 were killed in sporadic fighting from 2008 to 2011. AFP
