Second Army slams Cambodia for sending mentally ill ex-POW back into battle

The Second Army Area has condemned Cambodia for what it described as an “inhumane” act, accusing Phnom Penh of sending a mentally ill former prisoner of war (POW)—previously released by Thailand on medical grounds—back to the battlefield.

In a statement posted on its Facebook page on Monday, the Second Army Area responded to a report by Cambodia’s Fresh News Daily, which portrayed soldier Lim Sameng as a heroic figure who had been arrested by Thai soldiers and released before returning to the front line.

According to the Second Army Area, Lim Sameng was one of the Cambodian fighters captured during clashes in Kantharalak district, Si Sa Ket, between July 24 and 28 2025. Thailand later repatriated two detainees, including Lim, after determining that both were suffering from severe health problems and psychiatric symptoms.

“Lim Sameng suffered from chronic alcoholism and mental instability caused by combat stress,” the statement said, adding that before his release he signed a written agreement pledging not to return to combat.

The Second Army Area also rejected Cambodian claims that Thailand mistreated detainees. It said Thai personnel had repeatedly provided Lim with footwear, which he refused to wear—contrary to Cambodian allegations that Thailand had denied him shoes.

The army criticised Cambodia for putting an unwell individual back into combat, calling it “an extremely inhumane act” and evidence that the remaining 18 Cambodian POWs held by Thailand cannot yet be released until hostilities fully cease.

The statement further outlined relevant international humanitarian principles:

• Former POWs must not be forced back into combat immediately upon release, under the Geneva Conventions.
   
• Individuals with mental-health conditions or suspected Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are considered vulnerable persons.
   
• Deploying mentally unfit individuals into combat without medical treatment or readiness assessment endangers life and violates human dignity.
   
• Using personnel who are physically or mentally unfit for combat may constitute a breach of humanitarian and human-rights standards.

“Returning an individual with psychiatric symptoms or suspected PTSD to frontline operations without proper treatment and assessment is an unacceptable and potentially inhumane practice,” the Second Army Area concluded.