Indonesia Sends Senior Coach To Advance Pencak Silat In Cambodia

Ambassador Santo and Coach Lutfan (center). (Source: Indonesian Embassy in Phnom Penh)

JAKARTA - In an effort to further advance the world of Cambodian pencak silat, the Fellowship of the Inter-National Pencak Silat, in collaboration with the Indonesian Ministry of Youth and Sports, appointed a senior coach to train Cambodian pencak silat athletes for the next three months.

To commemorate this important moment, the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia (KBRI) at Phnom Penh held a handover ceremony conducted by the Indonesian Ambassador to Cambodia, Santo Darmosumarto with the Cambodian Government represented by the Secretary General of the Cambodian Pencak Silat Federation Ou Dara.

The figure of the coach appointed is also not an arbitrary figure, but has experience in Cambodia, Lutfan Budi Santosa. He was one of the first people to bring pencak silat to Cambodia in 2023.

At that time, Coach Lutfan led the coaching staff in preparation for Cambodia's first participation in the 32nd SEA Games at Phnom Penh. The results were unexpected, because Cambodia won its first pencak silat gold medal.

In his remarks, Ambassador Santo highlighted the role of pencak silat in strengthening friendship and cooperation between the governments of Cambodia and Indonesia.

"Our two countries have long historical ties. Today's event shows our commitment to translating this bond into a closer understanding, mutual respect, friendship, and concrete cooperation," he explained, quoted from the statement from the Indonesian Embassy in Phnom Penh, as quoted on September 27.

Meanwhile, Secretary General Ou Dara expressed his appreciation to the Indonesian government for its ongoing support for the development of pencak silat in Cambodia, calling it an "an act of friendship".

Highlighting various movements in pencak silat similar to Kun Bokator, Cambodian martial arts, Ou Dara believes, pencak silat will develop into popular sports in Cambodia.

The arrival of Coach Lutfan is very timely, because the Cambodian Pencak Silat Federation is preparing Cambodia's participation in various competitions, including the 3rd Asian Youth Games in Bahrain in October 2025 and the 33rd SEA Games in Thailand in December 2025. More than 90 pencak silat athletes will compete to get a place in the Cambodian team in the two competitions.

It is known, pencak silat is a traditional martial arts from Indonesia that has been recognized by UNESCO as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2019.

Through sharing pencak silat, Indonesia wants to strengthen not only bilateral cooperation in the field of sports, but also bring the people of the two countries closer.

Meanwhile, Cambodia's Minister of Education, Youth and Sports Hangchuon Naron emphasized the importance of this in a recent meeting with Ambassador Santo.

It is known, founded in 1980, the Fellowship of the Inter-National Pencak Silat is currently led by Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto who is actively promoting pencak silat around the world.

The commitment to support the development of pencak silat in Indonesia was also discussed at the last meeting of President Prabowo with Cambodian Senate President Samdech Techo Hun Sen in Jakarta on May 5, 2025.