Then Cambodian Prime Minister Prince Norodom Sihanouk visiting President Sukarno at the State Palace on February 10, 1959. National Library of Indonesia.
Indonesia, a sprawling archipelago stretching from Sumatra in the west to half of the island of Papua in the east, encompasses over ten thousand islands and hundreds of local languages.
Since the sixteenth century, various European nations, including the Netherlands, established trading posts in the region, drawn by the unique spices found only in the so-called “Spice Islands” (modern-day Maluku province). By the early nineteenth century, the Dutch began consolidating the archipelago into a direct colony, a process completed by 1911.
In the early decades of the 20th century, a growing sense of unity and nationalism began to spread among Indonesians, transcending ethnic divides. A significant milestone was the 1928 Youth Pledge, where students declared “One Nation, One People, One Language” as their guiding principle for building an independent Indonesia.
This burgeoning national consciousness was interrupted by World War II when Japanese forces invaded in 1942, swiftly overthrowing Dutch rule. The subsequent three-year Japanese occupation brought famine, authoritarianism, and deprivation.
Following Japan’s surrender at the end of the war, nationalist leaders Sukarno and Mohammad Hatta seized the moment, proclaiming Indonesia’s independence on August 17, 1945. However, the Dutch, with support from their European allies, sought to reassert colonial control, leading to the Indonesian Revolution, which lasted from 1945 to 1949.
Sukarno, accompanied by Mohammad Hatta, declaring the independence of Indonesia at 10:00 am on Friday, August 17, 1945, at Pegangsaan Timur 56 (now Jalan Proklamasi), Jakarta. National Library of Indonesia.
The Indonesian Revolution was marked by intense guerrilla warfare waged by local militias against Dutch forces and, initially, other Allied troops who had entered to accept the Japanese surrender. The conflict was chaotic and brutal, characterised by violence not only against the colonisers but also between pro-independence groups with differing visions for Indonesia’s future. A significant internal debate among the nationalist leadership was whether to seek international diplomatic recognition or to strive for complete independence through military means—a stance encapsulated in the slogan “100% Merdeka” or “100% Independence.”
After four years of arduous struggle, Indonesia finally emerged victorious, securing its sovereignty and embarking on the challenging journey of nation-building. The resilience and determination displayed during the Indonesian Revolution laid the foundation for the diverse and vibrant nation Indonesia is today.
The Republic of Indonesia and the Kingdom of Cambodia established diplomatic ties in 1957, four years after Cambodia obtained independence from France.
History, however, shows that cultural ties between the two Southeast Asian countries date as far back as the Syailendra Dynasty, a notable Indianised dynasty that emerged in the 8th century, ruling in the days of the Mataram Kingdom in Java, and the Jayavarman II Dynasty ruling the Angkor Empire in Cambodia.
King Jayavarman II (802 AD to 835 AD) was a Khmer prince who founded and became the ruler of the Khmer Empire after unifying the Khmer civilisation. Later kings of the Khmer Empire described him as a warrior and the most powerful king from that time frame that they could recall.
Jayavarman is known to have lived in Java during the reign of the Sailendra Dynasty, which was claimed to have ruled over Java. Jayavarman returned to Cambodia to unite it after it was divided into several small kingdoms.
Hartini Sukarno welcoming Prince Norodom Sihanouk and his consort Monineath Sihanouk during an official state visit in Jarkata, Indonesia. National Library of Indonesia.
Indonesia`s Borobudur temple, built in the early 9th century, is often considered to have cultural ties with Cambodia`s Angkor Wat temple, built during the Jayavarman II Dynasty. The similarity between Indonesia’s Wayang kulit shadow puppet and Cambodia’s Sbek Touch is another prime example of the artistry the two nations shared. The peak of the Republic’s and the Kingdom’s diplomatic ties, however, were laid in stone by King Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia and President Sukarno. The two leaders first met in April 1955 during the Bandung Conference, also known as the Asia-Africa Conference, which led to the creation of the Non-Aligned Movement.
The year after, Indonesia acknowledged Cambodia as a sovereign state, and the following year (1957), both nations established diplomatic relations.
In 1960, Indonesia formalised the treaty of friendship with Cambodia.
Between 1959 and 1965, Sukarno visited Cambodia five times, with Prince Sihanouk reciprocating the visits.
“Sukarno considered me his most intimate friend and a brother. And thus he rendered me the ultimate tribute of being privy to his intricate martial trials and tribulations,” Sihanouk later wrote.
Benny Widyono (1936-2019), the former UN Secretary-General’s representative in Cambodia, and the author of Dancing in Shadows: Sihanouk wrote, “Both Sukarno and king-father Sihanouk will always be remembered by the peoples of Indonesia and Cambodia as the fathers of national independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and security of their respective countries.”
In 1992, Indonesia was one of the countries that supplied troops for the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) to assist the Kingdom in its peace-building effort. Seven years later, Indonesia, a founding member of ASEAN, expressed support for Cambodia’s admission into the bloc. Decades later, the faith in one another is still held in high esteem by the countries’ current leadership. The rapport between the two countries is at an all-time high.
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