Cambodia Urges Thailand to Release Detained Soldiers, Citing Geneva Convention Violations

GENEVA (Oct.22, 2025) — Cambodia has called for the immediate release of 18 soldiers it says are being unlawfully detained by Thai authorities, describing the situation as a violation of the Third Geneva Convention.

The demand was made by Ouch Borith, first vice president of Cambodia’s Senate, during his address at the 151st Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly in Geneva.

“Eighteen Cambodian soldiers remain in illegal detention,” Borith said during the general debate. “This is not only a breach of international law, it is a violation of human dignity and the principles we all uphold.”

Speaking under the assembly’s theme, “Promoting International Humanitarian Standards and Supporting Humanitarian Action in Times of Crisis,” Borith outlined what he described as escalating human rights violations along the Cambodia-Thailand border.

He cited forced evictions, encirclement of communities, threats of expulsion and psychological harassment, including nighttime broadcasts of ghostly or screaming voices.
“These are acts of psychological torture,” he said.

Borith warned that peace along the border is being undermined by unilateral actions from Thailand, including the construction of barbed-wire fences inside Cambodian territory and the enforcement of Thai domestic law in disputed zones.

He said such actions violate the 2000 Memorandum of Understanding on land boundary demarcation, as well as Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention and Article 7 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Responding to accusations that Cambodia had militarized the area around the World Heritage-listed Preah Vihear Temple, Borith denied the claims.

“There is no militarization,” he said. “Preah Vihear is safeguarded not through force, but through its cultural value, the rule of law and international cooperation. What threatens the temple is not Cambodian presence, but the use of explosive weaponry near a sacred site.”

He described the temple as a symbol of Cambodia’s national identity and global heritage.

Borith also highlighted Cambodia’s cooperation with international organizations such as the International Committee of the Red Cross, UNESCO and ASEAN, and reaffirmed the country’s commitment to peace, mine clearance and humanitarian norms.

In response to allegations that Cambodia had recently planted landmines in foreign territory, Borith called the claims “baseless and impossible,” citing Cambodia’s internationally recognized mine action record.

“Cambodia has destroyed more than 3 million landmines and continues to open its territory to international monitoring,” he said. “If any new landmines are found, they are remnants of past conflicts, not the result of recent actions.”