A soldier detained for joining a protest in Phnom Penh was yesterday released from military police custody after two nights and taken back to a Royal Cambodian Armed Forces base in Preah Vihear province, his family said.

With his uniform on and a United Nations flag in hand, Um Nan, 41, who is mentally ill, found himself among Boeung Kak protesters as they called for the release of activist Yorm Bopha outside the Supreme Court on Tuesday. He was later detained for violating RCAF anti-protesting rules.

Nan’s nephew Phan Pheng, a monk he had been staying with, said he had been returned to his base in Preah Vihear, where he would stay until documents were prepared for his release to his family for medical treatment.

“According to Tem Heak [Nan’s commander], my uncle has had mental problems since fighting battles at the Cambodian-Thai border and being shot,” he said. “Phnom Penh Military Police have freed him and donated $500 for treatment.”