6 days ago
Red Cross reps visit captured Cambodian soldiers
International Red Cross representatives on Tuesday visited 18 captured Cambodian soldiers and witnessed the good care being given them by the Thai army, according to the Royal Thai Army..
A statement testifying to this and describing the captives as "prisoners of war" was released on Tuesday by the army's spokesteam.
Army and Foreign Affairs officials took Bangkok-based representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to visit the 18 Cambodian prisoners of war at a detention facility of the 2nd Army Region.
The statement said the ICRC is an international humanitarian organisation that directly supervises the conditions of prisoners of war.
The visit complied with the ICRC's normal work process and had nothing to do with any demand made by Cambodia, the statement said. The ICRC intended to witness the conditions the prisoners were being kept in and put them in communication with their respective families.
The visit also showed Thailand strictly observes international humanitarian principles, especially the Geneva Convention of 1949, and transparently respects the human dignity of prisoners of war.
The army said it let ICRC officials meet and talk freely with the captured Cambodian soldiers, without any time limit and without the presence of Thai officials and journalists, as the ICRC requested.
The army also provided details of the prisoners' health examinations to the ICRC, showing the captured Cambodians were not tortured or mistreated.
The army also informed the ICRC of the situations leading to the detention of 20 Cambodian soldiers and the treatment and repatriation of two of them.
The 18 Cambodian soldiers were healthy and were not injured, the army statement said. They received three meals a day, stayed in a safe and hygienic place and were closely cared for by doctors.
