(AGENPARL) - Roma, 31 Dicembre 2025 - (AGENPARL) – Wed 31 December 2025 Logo ICRC EN.jpg      International Committee of the Red Cross
** ICRC – Cambodia-Thailand: ICRC supports release and repatriation of 18 prisoners of war  
31 December 2025
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Geneva (ICRC) – The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) today supported as a neutral humanitarian observer the release and repatriation of 18 prisoners of war (PoWs) who were detained in relation to the international armed conflict between Cambodia and Thailand. The release operation, which was carried out as part of the Joint Statement signed by the parties on 27 December 2025, enabled prisoners of war to be returned to Cambodia from Thailand.
“Today’s release and repatriation of prisoners of war allows families to be reunited and marks an important step in translating the commitments outlined in the Joint Statement into action,” said ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric. “Respect for international humanitarian law, which includes the repatriation of prisoners of war at the end of active hostilities, is critical to helping build confidence between parties and supporting the path to lasting peace. I hope this operation helps lay the foundation for a new year rooted in the peace and stability that communities on both sides of the border need and deserve.”
The ICRC visited the 18 PoWs on four occasions since their detention in Thailand in July 2025. In line with the provisions of the Geneva Conventions, the visits are intended to allow the ICRC to monitor their well-being and conditions of detention and facilitate the exchange of messages between them and their families. As a neutral, impartial, and independent organization, ICRC’s work in places of detention is guided by a long-standing principle of confidentiality and bilateral dialogue with detaining authorities.
The Third Geneva Convention states that prisoners of war shall be released and repatriated without delay after the cessation of active hostilities. Prisoners of war retain their status and protection under the Third Geneva Convention until their final release and repatriation.
About the ICRC
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is a neutral, impartial and independent organization with an exclusively humanitarian mandate that stems from the Geneva Conventions of 1949. It helps people around the world affected by armed conflict and other violence, doing everything it can to protect their lives and dignity and to relieve their suffering, often alongside its Red Cross and Red Crescent partners.
** For more information, please contact:
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Public Relations Unit | International Committee of the Red Cross | 19, avenue de la Paix | 1202 Geneva | Switzerland
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ICRC, Avenue de la Paix, 19, Geneva, . 1201 Switzerland