PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — Cambodia on Friday welcomed the return of two wounded troopers who had been captured by the Thai military after the 2 sides had already carried out a ceasefire to finish five days of combat over competing territorial claims.
Their repatriation comes amid accusations and bickering over whether or not both aspect had focused civilians and breached the legal guidelines of warfare, and sharp nationalist feuding on social media.
The remainder of a 20-member group of Cambodian troopers captured on Tuesday in one of many disputed pockets of land over which the 2 sides had been preventing stay in Thai arms, and Cambodian officers are demanding their launch.
The 2 nations have given differing accounts of the circumstances of the seize. Cambodian officers say their troopers approached the Thai place with pleasant intentions to supply post-fighting greetings, whereas Thai officers mentioned the Cambodians appeared to have hostile intent and entered what Thailand considers its territory, so had been taken prisoner.
Cambodian Protection Ministry Spokesperson Maly Socheata confirmed that the 2 wounded troopers had been handed over at a border checkpoint between Thailand’s Surin province and Cambodia’s Oddar Meanchey province, and urged the Thai aspect to promptly repatriate the remaining personnel in accordance with “worldwide humanitarian regulation.”
Thailand says it has been following worldwide authorized procedures and was holding the remaining 18 troopers till it might examine their actions.
An announcement issued Friday by Thailand’s 2nd Military Area recognized the 2 repatriated Cambodian troopers as a sergeant with a damaged arm and a gash on his hip, and a second lieutenant who gave the impression to be affected by battle fatigue and wanted care from his household. It mentioned each males had taken an oath to not have interaction in additional hostilities towards Thailand.
Neither man has been made obtainable for interviews by impartial third events.
There have been different peaceable actions on Friday on either side of the border as each nations staged tours of the previous battle areas for overseas diplomats and different observers, highlighting harm allegedly brought on by the opposite aspect. The 2 nations proceed to accuse one another of getting violated the legal guidelines of warfare with assaults on civilians and the unlawful use of weapons.
Greater than three dozen individuals, civilian and troopers, had been killed within the preventing, which along with infantry battles included artillery duels and the firing of truck-mounted rockets by Cambodia, to which Thailand responded with airstrikes. Greater than 260,000 individuals in complete had been displaced from their houses.
Below the phrases of the ceasefire, navy representatives of either side are supposed to satisfy subsequent week to iron out particulars to keep away from additional clashes. Nevertheless, the talks should not presupposed to cowl the competing territorial claims which might be on the coronary heart of decades-long pressure between the 2 nations.
Partisans of either side are additionally waging a disagreement on-line, with Thailand accusing Cambodia of additionally finishing up malicious hacking. Each nations’ skilled journalism societies have accused one another of spreading false info and different propaganda.
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Related Press author Jintamas reported from Bangkok