Thailand frees 18 Cambodian soldiers as ceasefire holds

Cambodian soldiers, who had been captured by Thai soldiers in July, gesture to well-wishers after their release, near a checkpoint along the border with Thailand. (AFP)
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Updated 31 December 2025
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Thailand frees 18 Cambodian soldiers as ceasefire holds

  • The Southeast Asian neighbors agreed on a ceasefire that took effect on Saturday, ‌halting ⁠20 ​days of ‌fighting that killed at least 101 people and displaced more than half a million

BANGKOK/PHNOM PENH: 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 neighbors 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 over alleged ‍breaches of the ceasefire deal, ‍which Cambodia denied.
Cambodian Defense 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
The border clashes reignited early this month, following the breakdown in a
ceasefire deal
that US President
Donald Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim helped broker to halt a previous round of conflict in ‌July.