Cambodian and Thai civil society groups urge the Thai government and military to immediately and unconditionally release 18 Cambodian soldiers who were captured one month ago, as calls continued by the government to the Thai military to respect the ceasefire agreement.
It has been 31 days since the soldiers were detained after the ceasefire came into effect on the midnight of July 28, with calls by the government to the Thai side to release them since day one, but with no response from the other side.
Earlier today, 73 Cambodian and Thai civil society groups demanded Thailand to release the soldiers, who have been identified by the Thai government and army as prisoners of war (POWs). In actual fact, they were taken into custody after the ceasefire was implemented.
The soldiers were captured at the Chong Te border crossing within Cambodia after they were “called up” by the Thai side to take a “commemorative photo together”, said Chan Sopheatra, commander of Cambodia’s Preah Vihear military operation area.
However, the Thai military immediately ordered their soldiers, who were hiding in the forest, to take out their rifles and arrest the men, altogether 20 initially. So far, only two Cambodian soldiers and the body of one Cambodian soldier have been returned to Cambodia by Thailand.
On August 5, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) visited the 18 soldiers, confirming that they were safe and healthy, but refused to release their monitoring report, stating that it was “confidential”.
The civil society groups said their continued detention only fuels further tensions between the two countries and hinders the reconciliation process, which is necessary to build lasting peace in accordance with the spirit of the ceasefire. “Soldiers must be released immediately after the end of the war or armed conflict.”
Ros Srey Nan, wife of Phan Kien, one of the 18 soldiers, said she worries about him daily, and is close to a mental breakdown. She hopes to see his face soon and live with him again.
“I am so worried about him. I don’t know when he will be sent back. It has been a long time. I don’t know how he was doing. I just lie in bed and wait for him to come back. I hope the government will find a solution to bring him back soon,” said Srey Nan, who lives in Stung Treng.
Provincial authorities visited her and told her to be patient. “I am going crazy!” she said. “He is a thin and soft spoken man, but I don’t know how his health is now. It’s difficult to say. I miss his face and voice,” she told CamboJA News.
Government spokesperson Pen Bona said they have not stopped demanding the return of the 18 soldiers to Cambodia, adding that they have no clue when they will be released.
“We demand every day; never miss a day. We don’t know when they will be released, but we will not abandon any soldier,” Bona told CamboJA News.
The Cambodian-Thailand border dispute escalated into a deadly clash lasting five days before a ceasefire agreement was reached on July 28 and a further 13-point truce signed a few days later.
Prior to the clash, Thailand unilaterally closed the border and launched a heavy military offensive against Cambodia, resulting in deaths and injuries.
According to the National Defense Ministry, over 170,000 people fled to safety during the clashes from July 24 to 28, 2025. However, the total number of refugees who returned home is not yet available. Many whose homes are along the Thai border have not returned for fear of renewed fighting.
In O’Chrov district in Banteay Meanchey province, which borders Thailand, 12 families’ homes were fenced up with barbed wire by Thai soldiers, essentially evicting the Cambodian owners on August 14 and 25. Thai soldiers tried to lay more barbed wire, but were stopped by more than 400 Cambodian villagers.
The next day, about 100 Thai citizens from different areas confronted Cambodian citizens and threatened to “spray human feces” from septic tank truck on Cambodian citizens, but were stopped by Thai authorities.
On August 27, Cambodian Ambassador to the UN Keo Chhea met with UN Secretary-General António Guterres to share his concern over Thailand’s provocative actions, particularly the installation of barbed wire by cutting out villages, evicting Cambodians from their homes, and destroying people’s homes.
Separately, the National Defense Ministry said both sides agreed to maintain regular communication between the military regions and military areas as well as units along the border of the two countries and strive to resolve all issues peacefully and avoid clashes.
They made the commitment during an extraordinary meeting of the Cambodia-Thailand Military Region Border Committee (RBC) between the Cambodian Military Region 4 and the Thai Military Region 2 on August 27.
