TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The war between Thailand and Cambodia broke out on Thursday morning, July 24, 2025. By the third day of escalating conflict, the death toll continued to rise. A total of 32 people were reported dead from both sides.
The Cambodian Ministry of National Defense on Saturday, July 26, 2025, cited by Al Jazeera, stated that seven civilians and five of their soldiers died. One person had already died from a Thai rocket attack on a pagoda where they sought refuge.
On the other hand, Thai authorities recorded 13 civilians, including children, and six military personnel as casualties. At least 59 others, consisting of 29 soldiers and 30 Thai civilians, were injured due to attacks from Cambodia.
About 138,000 Thai residents have been evacuated from border areas, with the government opening more than 300 evacuation centers. Meanwhile, according to Cambodian authorities, over 20,000 residents of Preah Vihear Province have left their homes to avoid the impact of the fighting.
The Thai government has declared a military emergency status in eight border districts since last Friday.
Deputy Chairman of the House of Representatives Commission I, Dave Akbarshah Fikarno, said the Indonesian government must push the Thailand-Cambodia war into the diplomatic space. The Golkar Party politician said that one peaceful effort that needs to be pursued is through dialogue in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations or ASEAN.
"Indonesia needs to utilize all other forums, all that we have," Dave said in a video statement on Saturday, July 26, 2025. The son of former DPR Chairman Agung Laksono received information that the government, through Foreign Minister Sugiono, had communicated with Malaysia, as the current ASEAN Chair, to discuss peace efforts.
Dave said it is not easy to resolve the prolonged conflict between the two neighboring countries, even though there is a local court decision regarding territorial disputes. Because until now, the war is still ongoing. "We must push this into the diplomatic discussion space," he said.
Member of Commission I, DPR, Amelia Anggraini, also urged the Indonesian government to open a dialogue in responding to the Thailand-Cambodia war. The NasDem party politician warned that the dispute between the two neighboring countries should not escalate into an open conflict.
"Indonesia, through peaceful diplomatic channels, both bilaterally and within the ASEAN framework, must urge both countries to restrain themselves, open dialogue, and seek peaceful solutions," Amelia said in a written statement on Friday, July 25, 2025, quoted from the Nasdem official website.
Amelia stressed that Indonesia has a moral and strategic responsibility to continue to maintain the stability of the Southeast Asian region. She emphasized that regional stability is a strategic asset for national development and state security.
In a separate interview, Deputy Chairman of Commission I from the Prosperous Justice Party Sukamta, assessed that the Thailand-Cambodia war has the potential to disrupt ASEAN regional stability. Sukamta hoped that the Indonesian government would be proactive in promoting the peace process between Thailand and Cambodia, both through diplomatic relations with both countries and through ASEAN.
"Good relations between Indonesia and both countries can be used to facilitate the peace process," he said in a written statement to Tempo on Saturday, July 26, 2025.
There is no official information from the government regarding efforts to encourage dialogue between Thailand and Cambodia. The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement on Saturday, July 26, 2025, stated that the government continues to monitor developments on the border between Thailand and Cambodia.
The ministry believes that the two neighboring countries will soon return to peaceful ways to resolve their differences in accordance with the principles stated in the ASEAN Charter and the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation.
"The Government of the Republic Indonesia also monitors the safety and welfare of its citizens living in the affected areas," the ministry wrote in its post on X.
Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi hoped that the escalation of the Thailand-Cambodia war conflict would not increase. However, the spokesperson for President Prabowo Subianto declined to comment on the political decisions of the two countries involved in the war. The government focuses on the rescue of Indonesian citizens in Thailand.
"It (the Thailand-Cambodia war) has a global impact, including on our country. The most important thing is to ensure the safety of our citizens there," Prasetyo said at the Presidential Palace complex in Jakarta on Friday, July 25, 2025.
Impact on the Region and Indonesia
Researcher at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Andrew Wiguna Mantong, mentioned that this conflict shows the weakness of ASEAN's capacity to respond to crises in its own region. Andrew said that the current border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia has a serious impact on the stability of the Southeast Asian region.
"This undermines trust in the commitment to peace between ASEAN member countries," Andrew said when contacted on Friday, July 25, 2025. He explained that to date, there has been no effective activation of peaceful mechanisms, even though two ASEAN member countries are involved in open clashes.
Teuku Rezasyah, an international relations lecturer at Padjajaran University, warned that the conflict could indirectly involve Indonesia. Teuku said Indonesia's position in the Thailand-Cambodia conflict could be considered not neutral, especially if its maritime surveillance is loose.
Teuku warned that there is the potential for the war to impact the movement of logistics and weapons through Indonesian maritime routes without detection.
Teuku emphasized that this situation also makes Indonesia's position very sensitive in regional geopolitical maneuvers. "It seems as if Indonesia is not being fair in handling the conflict between Cambodia and Thailand," he said on Saturday, July 27, 2025.
Sukamta also assessed that Indonesia will not be directly affected by the Thailand-Cambodia war. But, as a legislator in the defense field, he said that the escalating conflict has the potential to create vulnerabilities, with the presence of refugees or arms trading through the territory of a third country.
Adinda Jasmine and Hendrik Yaputra contributed to the writing of this article.
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