Children playing around a bunker in Surin province, Thailand. Hundreds of thousands of people living close to the border have been displaced by the clashes. -- PHOTO: AFP
BANGKOK (Bloomberg): Thailand is still considering when to release 18 Cambodian soldiers captured in July, delaying a decision originally expected by midday Tuesday over accusations Cambodia breached the terms of a recent ceasefire.
As part of the most recent agreement to pause fighting, which took effect Saturday, Bangkok said it would consider repatriating the POWs if the halt holds for 72 hours.
But it’s now reconsidering the timing of the release after Cambodia violated the terms of the agreement by infringing on Thai airspace, Nikorndej Balankura, foreign ministry spokesman, said in a briefing.
The Thai army on Monday said that more than 250 drones flew into its airspace Sunday night from Cambodia at multiple border points, describing it as a "provocation” and a violation of the deal. Cambodia denied the accusation and imposed a nationwide drone ban. Thailand also said that a soldier was maimed in a land mine blast on Saturday.
Nikorndej added that the defense ministries of both countries have been in contact.
Fighting in July and again earlier this month along their shared 800-kilometer (500-mile) frontier has left dozens dead and displaced hundreds of thousands of people living close to the border.
While the origins of the conflict can be traced to territorial disputes over colonial-era maps, the recent fighting has also been fueled by nationalist sentiment and a complex battle over so-called scam compounds in Cambodia.
Both the US and China have sought to end the hostilities, which President Donald Trump has demanded since the July surge in violence to halt fighting or face higher tariffs. Beijing has recently been seeking a more public role as a mediator, and has tried to contrast its approach to diplomacy with Trump’s threats.
Thailand captured the soldiers shortly after a late-July ceasefire was declared, and has maintained that they would only be released after hostilities cease. Cambodia has said the soldiers were unlawfully detained. -- ©2026 Bloomberg L.P.
