PHNOM PENH: Eighteen Cambodian soldiers received a hero's welcome home on Wednesday, after Thailand released them as part of a truce deal that ended weeks of deadly fighting along their contested frontier. Some of the 18 soldiers — who were captured by Thailand and held for five months as prisoners of war — smiled, waved and gestured with their palms pressed together to cheering crowds through bus windows in the border province of Pailin, and later in Phnom Penh.
Hundreds of well-wishers lined the streets of the capital, hollering and waving national flags, as a caravan of mini-buses shuttled the returned men and teary-eyed relatives through the city, video from Cambodian state television showed, ahead of an expected meeting with Prime Minister Hun Manet.
Cambodia's defence ministry said the 18 soldiers were "released and safely returned to the motherland" through a border crossing on Wednesday morning after being detained for 155 days. Thailand's foreign ministry said they were repatriated "as a demonstration of goodwill and confidence-building", according to a statement. Phnom Penh said it was hopeful their release would contribute to "building mutual trust". — AFP
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