Thailand-Cambodia Border Talks: Bangkok Releases 2 Soldiers Ahead Of Key Meeting Next Week

Thailand released two wounded Cambodian soldiers on Friday who were captured after the skirmishes near a disputed border area between the two countries, including the main area of the Temple of Preah Vihear. Cambodia on the same day said that the soldiers were sent back through a border checkpoint that connects Thailand’s Surin province with its Oddar Meanchey.

This happened after both countries agreed to stop fighting, ending five days of conflict over a disputed area. The return of the soldiers comes as Thailand and Cambodia keep blaming each other for attacking civilians and breaking international rules during last week’s fighting, which continued for 5 days.

Thailand-Cambodia border talks: A big breakthrough in conflict?

There are still 8 Cambodian soldiers being held by Thailand. They were captured on Tuesday (July 29), just a few hours after both sides agreed to a ceasefire. Cambodian Defence Ministry spokesperson Maly Socheata shared that the wounded soldiers were returned at a border crossing. Socheata also called for the rest of the soldiers to be released “according to international rules.”

Both sides have given different stories about what happened. Cambodia says their soldiers approached the Thai side in peace after the fighting stopped, but Thailand says the group acted aggressively and crossed into Thai territory, which is why they were detained.

Thailand or Cambodia: Who ignited the recent dispute?

To show what happened, both countries gave tours of the border areas to foreign diplomats and observers, each side showing the damage and blaming the other. Both countries have also accused each other of war crimes, such as hitting civilians and using banned weapons.

In the recent 5-day border clash, soldiers shot at each other, Cambodia fired rockets, and Thailand used airstrikes and artillery. More than 30 people—including civilians—were killed, and over 260,000 had to leave their homes on both sides of the border.

Now that the fighting has stopped and a ceasefire has been agreed upon, military representatives from both countries will meet next week on August 4 in Malaysia to talk about ways to reduce tensions. They are, however, not planning to talk about who owns the disputed land.

This has been the point of contention between the two countries for many years now.