(Phnom Penh): Once again, on Friday (Aug. 8), the Royal Government urged the Thai side to immediately and unconditionally repatriate the 18 Cambodian soldiers after they were detained by Thailand during the ceasefire period and have yet to be returned.

Chum Sounry, Spokesperson for Cambodia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, spoke on Friday (Aug. 8) during a press conference.

“Cambodia reiterates its call for the urgent and unconditional repatriation of the 18 Cambodian soldiers, and urges Thailand to prioritise sincere dialogue and ease tensions in a spirit of peace and cooperation,” the spokesperson underscored.

According to Chum Sounry, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation highly values the visit by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to meet with the soldiers, which helps ensure that their basic rights and dignity are respected in accordance with the provisions of the 1949 Geneva Conventions.

Cambodia considers this visit an important step toward transparency and adherence to international humanitarian law, but continues to take a highly cautious stance, emphasising that the ongoing detention of the 18 Cambodian soldiers who were captured during the ceasefire raises serious legal and moral concerns.

It should be noted that Thailand previously indicated that the Cambodian soldiers would be released and repatriated immediately once hostilities between the two countries had ended, as stated in a previous press release by the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
=FRESH NEWS