Pich Chantrea, better known on social media as Moon Pich, president of the Khmer Intellectual Group, has urged the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to continue to closely monitor the status of the 18 Cambodian soldiers in Thai custody. The president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Cambodia (AmCham) has also highlighted how Thailand is violating international law by continuing to imprison them.
Pich sent letters to the ICRC in both Geneva and Bangkok on December 1, requesting that they continue to careful monitor the condition of the 18 men to ensure they are protected from all forms of mistreatment or torture, in accordance with the Third Geneva Convention.
The letter noted that two of the 20 Cambodian soldiers initially detained by the Thai military were returned; however, one suffered severe physical injuries and the other suffered from psychological trauma. This has led to concerns regarding Thailand’s failure to comply with its obligations under international human rights law.
He added that Thailand promised to release the 18 soldiers but has violated that agreement by continuing to detain them illegally.
“We will not remain silent. This is done to show that we do not abandon any of our people. We stand together for justice, dignity, and national sovereignty. We will continue to demand until all 18 heroic soldiers are released back to our motherland,” said the letter.
The men’s continued detention also drew the attention of AmCham president Casey Barnett, who took to social media on November 28 to explain how Thailand is violating the Geneva Convention by holding them after the cessation of hostilities.
He quoted Article 118 of the Third Geneva Convention, which states: “Prisoners of war shall be released and repatriated without delay after the cessation of active hostilities”.
He suggested that Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul is using the prisoners as leverage to achieve a specific objective, and that doing so is a deliberate violation of the Geneva Convention.
The Thai prime minister stated that the release of the prisoners of war would depend on Cambodia commitment to “withdrawing troops, clearing mines, cracking down on online scam operations and resettling Cambodian citizens whom he claims are encroaching on Thai territory”.
Thai defence minister Nattaphon Narkphanit repeated his comments.
“Anutin demanded an end to scamming activities, but deceived the US and Cambodia when he signed the peace agreement on October 26. Point 5 of the peace agreement demonstrates Thailand’s desire to promote trust and confidence, and that Thailand would commit to the expeditious release of prisoners of war. But until now, more than a month later, those 18 soldiers are still being forcibly detained. This is a deception,” he said.
December 1 marks the 125th day since the soldiers were captured and placed under the custody of the Thai 2nd Army Region.
Cambodia has called on the Thai side to respect the Joint Statement on the Peace Agreement between Cambodia and Thailand, specifically Paragraph 5, which emphasised that “The Thai side must release the 18 Cambodian soldiers immediately and without delay”.
Cambodia urged the Thais to respect and implement all of its obligations under international law, especially international humanitarian law, by releasing the soldiers as soon as possible so that they may reunite with their families.
