Thailand has handed over to Cambodia 18 Cambodian soldiers captured in July during the previous escalation of the border conflict between the two countries, the Thai Foreign Ministry announced.
„Thailand repatriated the 18 captured Cambodian soldiers to Cambodia in accordance with paragraph 11 of the Joint Statement between Thailand and Cambodia signed at the Third Special Meeting of the Joint Boundary Committee on December 27, 2025, which stated that the 18 Cambodian soldiers would be returned to Cambodia after the ceasefire was fully observed for 72 hours.
The release is also in line with the spirit of the Joint Statement between Thailand and Cambodia signed on October 26, 2025 in Kuala Lumpur“, the statement said.
“The repatriation of the 18 Cambodian servicemen was undertaken as a gesture of goodwill and confidence-building and in accordance with international humanitarian principles. Thailand hopes that Cambodia will reciprocate with concrete actions to facilitate the establishment of sustainable peace between the two countries“, the Thai Foreign Ministry stressed, noting that the Thai authorities had treated the captured Cambodian servicemen “in accordance with international humanitarian law“. The handover of the troops took place in the presence of a group of observers from ASEAN.
Cambodia and Thailand agreed to a ceasefire from 12:00 local time on December 27 after the third special meeting of the Joint Boundary Committee of the two countries.
The latest escalation of the border conflict between the countries began with a shootout on the border on December 7. On December 8, the Thai ground forces reported that Cambodian troops had fired artillery at Thai positions in the border area. The Thai air force responded by attacking Cambodian military infrastructure.
Twenty-three Thai soldiers were killed in the clashes. According to the Cambodian Ministry of Defense, shelling in Cambodia has killed 31 civilians and injured at least 87 others.