Thailand frees 18 Cambodian soldiers under new ceasefire deal

Thailand released 18 Cambodian soldiers on Wednesday under an renewed ceasefire agreed by the two countries at the weekend, authorities from both countries said, easing tensions after weeks of deadly border clashes.



The Southeast Asian neighbours agreed to halt fighting at noon on Saturday, ending about 20 days of clashes that killed at least 101 people and displaced more than half a million civilians on both sides.



The fighting included fighter jet sorties, exchanges of rocket fire and artillery barrages. Cambodian Defence Ministry spokesperson Maly Socheata said the soldiers were transferred at a border checkpoint at 10 am on Wednesday, after 155 days in Thai custody. The governor of Cambodia's Battambang province, Sok Lou, described the returnees as "heroic soldiers".



Thailand's Foreign Ministry said the detainees had been treated "in accordance with international humanitarian law and principles" during their detention. The border clashes flared up again this month after a previous ceasefire deal brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim collapsed.