The Thai release of Cambodian soldiers: Three considerations

The Thai release of Cambodian soldiers: Three considerations

#opinion

There are three considerations that should accompany the welcome news of the release of the Cambodian detainees.

First, this is an important step forward for advancing peace between the two countries, but we should be careful in not heaping praise on the Thai government for fulfilling an obligation that was long overdue.

Second, we should also be cautious in not assuming the current ceasefire can transition to actual peace. The current Thai government seems unwilling or incapable of exercising the leadership that is needed to achieve peace and so Cambodia will likely need to wait until the next Thai government is in power after February elections.

Finally, we should not forget that the circumstances that surround this conflict clearly reflect an illegal aggression against Cambodia and there will need to be a fair accounting of the damages incurred by this conflict.

Youk Chhang is the director of the Documentation Center of Cambodia (DC-Cam). The views and opinions expressed are his own.