Manet Urges Thailand To Release Cambodian Soldiers At Bilateral Talks in Malaysia
By Vijian Paramasivam
PHNOM PENH, Oct 28 (Bernama) -- Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Manet called on Thailand to release the 18 Cambodian soldiers on humanitarian grounds, as agreed in the Kuala Lumpur Peace Accord.
Cambodia and Thailand have renewed their bilateral ties after a nearly four-month diplomatic rift stemming from a five-day border conflict in late July, which disrupted their relations. The soldiers were detained by the Thai army during the border conflict.
Manet held a bilateral meeting with his Thai counterpart, Anutin Charnvirakul, on Tuesday morning in Kuala Lumpur, the venue of the 47th ASEAN Summit and Related Meetings.
“The immediate task for both sides is to work closely together to ensure the full and faithful implementation of the Joint Declaration (KL Peace Accord),” Manet said in a statement issued by the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation here, today.
Cambodia and Thailand signed the peace accord on Sunday in the presence of Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and United States President Donald Trump.
Manet acknowledged that the signing represents progress since the ceasefire agreement on July 28, which has helped maintain calm and stability along the border.
“The implementation of the actions stipulated in the Joint Declaration is a shared responsibility and obligation of both sides,” he said.
In May this year, Cambodia and Thailand were locked in a diplomatic crisis when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a border skirmish.
On July 24, Cambodian and Thai soldiers were engaged in a major armed confrontation which lasted five days. Fighting stopped on July 28 with a ceasefire brokered by Malaysia as the ASEAN Chair, the US, and China.
At the heart of the conflict is a dispute over the 817-kilometre border between the two countries, which have not been clearly marked since 1907.
The KL Peace Accord formalises the ceasefire signed in Putrajaya on August 7.
-- BERNAMA
