Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said the government had managed information to protect the soldiers’ lives. He rejected suggestions that it wanted to keep the public in the dark or was indifferent to the lives of its troops. Releasing some information, he said, could endanger them and complicate negotiations for their release.
In a social media post on the morning of July 31, Hun Manet said the lives of Cambodian troops and civilians in the conflict zone had been the government’s highest priority since fighting began on July 24, 2025. The government had therefore worked to achieve a ceasefire as soon as possible. He said managing battlefield information was crucial to protecting troops’ lives and preserving their operational advantage.
Hun Manet was responding to questions about why the Cambodian government had not immediately released information about Cambodian troops captured by Thai forces after the ceasefire, and whether it had considered the soldiers’ safety.
The prime minister stressed that the lives of the captured soldiers had been the government’s top priority from the moment of their capture. Cambodia was still waiting for Thailand to return them.
He said careful handling of information was especially important at the outset, when the soldiers’ fate was still unclear. Disclosing some information could endanger them or make negotiations for their release more difficult.
The prime minister said the government had faced a choice between releasing information to the public and withholding it to protect the soldiers while their situation was unclear. It had chosen to manage the information carefully and open talks to secure their swift return. He rejected allegations by some that it intended to conceal information or disregarded the troops’ lives.
Hun Manet added that Cambodian military leaders had contacted the Thai side as soon as the incident occurred to request the immediate release of the soldiers.
Cambodia’s Minister of National Defence and the commander of its Fourth Military Region had been in regular contact with their Thai counterparts to seek the soldiers’ prompt return. The commander-in-chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces had also asked Malaysia’s Chief of Defence Forces, as ceasefire coordinator and monitor, to urge the Thai military commander-in-chief to expedite their release.
Hun Manet said he hoped the Thai military would return all Cambodian soldiers still in its custody as soon as possible.
At a press briefing on the implementation of the Cambodia–Thailand ceasefire on the morning of July 31, 2025, Cambodian Ministry of National Defence spokesperson Maly Socheata said Thai troops had captured 21 Cambodian soldiers on the morning of July 29. By the morning of July 31, Cambodia had received the body of one soldier and 20 remained in Thai custody, she said.
Preah Sihanouk Provincial Television · Written by: ង៉ែត ពិសាន្ត
