REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, BANGKOK – The Cambodia-Thailand armed conflict has the potential to disrupt Southeast Asia's 58-year history of intra-regional peace. ASEAN must intervene to prevent the conflict from escalating.
"This crisis could be the biggest test for Malaysia's ASEAN chairmanship because ASEAN's primary reason for being is to maintain intra-regional peace, something ASEAN has done very well in its 58-year history," Sharon Seah, a senior fellow at ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute, Singapore, told Republika on Friday (25/7/2025).
He noted that Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, as ASEAN chairman, is currently seeking a way to mediate the conflict. However, with the situation becoming increasingly serious, ASEAN must intervene and offer its services to bring both parties to the negotiating table.
Sharon Seah reminded that Indonesia, when it was chair of ASEAN, successfully quelled a similar conflict in 2011. "In the 2011 Preah Vihear temple dispute, Indonesian Foreign Minister Dr. Marty Natalegawa worked tirelessly to conduct shuttle diplomacy between the two countries."
He said it was too speculative at this time to talk about escalation involving major powers and was completely counterproductive to the current crisis. "The challenge to sovereignty is at the heart of this bilateral dispute, and I believe outside powers should not interfere in the affairs of either side in any way."
ASEAN leaders pose for a photo on the sidelines of the plenary session of the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Monday, May 26, 2025. - (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
The international community, particularly the UN and ASEAN, must work together to calm the situation and encourage both parties to negotiate. In this regard, he believes the ICJ ruling on Preah Vihear Temple must be upheld.
"We now see both sides lobbying for blame over who started the conflict after the deterioration of bilateral relations with the withdrawal of diplomatic staff. What we need is for ASEAN foreign ministers to call on their counterparts in Thailand and Cambodia to urge them to exercise restraint and persuade them to come to discussions rather than using public channels to speak."
Meanwhile, Anwar Ibrahim said that as the current ASEAN chair, he had sent messages to his counterparts in Thailand and Cambodia urging peace. He promised to call them later to convey ASEAN's views on the conflict, which has killed at least nine civilians.
"This is a very worrying issue, and tonight, I will speak with the prime ministers of Thailand and Cambodia," Anwar Ibrahim said, as reported by the Malaysian media outlet the Star. He noted that both countries are members of ASEAN and also close to Malaysia.
"The least we can hope for is that they will back down and hopefully negotiate. Peace is the only option," Anwar said after attending the 2025 ASEAN Semiconductor Summit in Petaling Jaya on Thursday.
Regarding whether ASEAN would offer to broker a peace agreement between Thailand and Cambodia, Anwar said the focus is currently on communicating and expressing our views to both countries. "Both countries have shown interest in reaching a peaceful resolution to the conflict. Both countries also want ASEAN to remain involved in this issue," Anwar said.
Deputy Speaker of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, hopes that President Prabowo Subianto and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs can mediate peace between Thailand and Cambodia, which are currently in conflict. He believes that Indonesia, Thailand and Cambodia both enjoy good relations.
"Later, we will raise concerns with the hope that this will prevent further unrest in the ASEAN region," said Dasco at the parliamentary complex in Jakarta on Friday.
He also stated that many Indonesian citizens (WNI) are currently in Thailand or Cambodia. He urged them to remain calm.
"And we ask the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to then carry out communications to calm our citizens," he said.
The escalation of the conflict followed diplomatic tensions between Thailand and Cambodia, as well as two landmine explosions in Ubon Ratchathani Province that seriously injured several Thai military personnel, including one who lost a leg.
Thailand also recalled its ambassador from Phnom Penh and expelled the Cambodian ambassador due to the landmine incident. A gun battle erupted on the Thai-Cambodian border between the two countries' militaries on Thursday following the Thai Army's order to close the border with Cambodia.
Published by Republika Indonesia on 25 July 2025
https://news.republika.co.id/berita/szy6pv393/konflik-kambojathailand-ujian-besar-bagi-asean
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