Southeast Asia Information Port (www.dnyxxg.com) – His Excellency Ly Thu, First Vice President of the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Agency (CMAA), held a working meeting with Gilles Carbonnier, Vice President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), on the sidelines of the 22nd Conference of the States Parties to the Ottawa Convention in Geneva, Switzerland, on the 1st of this month. He urged the ICRC to continue its monitoring and to press Thailand to release the 18 Cambodian soldiers detained there as soon as possible.
During the meeting, Ly Thu expressed his sincere gratitude for the cooperation and support provided by the ICRC in demanding the release of the 18 Cambodian soldiers illegally detained by the Thai military.
He also suggested that the ICRC continue to closely monitor the condition of the 18 Cambodian soldiers and urge Thailand to release them as soon as possible so that these soldiers can safely reunite with their families.
In response to Ly Thu's request, Vice President Gilles Carbonnier stated that the ICRC would continue to monitor the condition of the Cambodian soldiers and pledged to continue working with relevant agencies on this issue.
It is understood that the 18 Cambodian soldiers have been detained by the Thai military for 126 days since the ceasefire agreement took effect.
Cambodia strongly urges Thailand to earnestly fulfill its obligations under the Cambodia-Thailand Joint Declaration on Peace. Article 5 of the declaration explicitly states that "Thailand should immediately and unconditionally release the 18 Cambodian soldiers." Cambodia also emphasizes that Thailand should respect and fulfill all obligations under international law, particularly international humanitarian law, and release the Cambodian soldiers as soon as possible so that they can safely return to their families.
