User:Paxse/Koh Kong

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Cambodian fishing boats in the Gulf of Thailand
Cambodian fishing boats in the Gulf of Thailand

Koh Kong town (transliterated as Krong Koh Kong) is the capital of Koh Kong Province. It is located near the mouth of the Kah Bpow river in Mondol Seima district on the Gulf of Thailand. The town lies only 10 kilometres from the Thai border. However, it is 138 kilometres by secondary road to National Highway 4 at Sre Ambel and a further 133 kilometres to Phnom Penh.[1]

Contents

Koh Kong has long had a reputation as a “Wild West” frontier town.[2] Until recently access to the town from Cambodia was mostly by sea or air due to the poor road conditions. In this relative isolation, illegal logging, wild animal smuggling, banditry, gambling, prostitution and a soaring rate of HIV infection have given Koh Kong it's frontier town reputation. However, with the building of the Thai-Cambodian bridge across the river and the upgrading of the road to the national highway, industry and investment has increased and the town is becoming a modest tourist destination.

[edit] Location

Koh Kong town is accessible by land, sea and air. From Bangkok it is 450 Kilometres to Had Lek and a short trip from there to the Cham Yeam international border. From the border it is 10 kilometres to the town. [3] Traveling from the capital Phnom Penh it is 133 kilometres west along National Highway 4 to the town of Sre Ambel. From Sre Ambel a narrow road winds 138 kilometres through the lower Cardamom Mountains before reaching Koh Kong. The road crosses four large rivers which have no bridges and must be crossed by car ferry.[4]

[edit] Recent History

In 1998, the Khmer Rouge attacked Koh Kong casino with rifles, rocket-propelled grenades and mortars.
In 1998, the Khmer Rouge attacked Koh Kong casino with rifles, rocket-propelled grenades and mortars.[5]

Until the end of the 1990’s, Koh Kong was one of the least secure parts of the country. Elements of the Khmer Rouge based in the lower Cardamoms still posed a serious threat to locals and travelers. The area was the scene of intermittent fighting between the government and Democratic Kampuchea forces until 1998. On 21 April 1984, the Khmer Rouge captured the town of Koh Kong and held it for a night and day. They claimed via Khmer Rouge Radio to have killed 1,107 Vietnamese troops and injured 125 more during the battle. [6] On June 6, 1985 Khmer Rouge troops attacked an outpost near the provincial town. Khmer Rouge Radio reported that they had slaughtered 28 Vietnamese soldiers and injured 34 others. [7]

As late as 1998, the Khmer Rouge were still active in the area. [8]

[edit] Environment

Overflight of an illegal logging camp in the Cardamom Mountains in Koh Kong Province
Overflight of an illegal logging camp in the Cardamom Mountains in Koh Kong Province

Koh Kong town is located just below the southern end of the Cardamom Mountains. The Kah Bpow river which runs through the town begins in the Cardamoms and runs down to join the Gulf of Thailand. The town’s location relatively remote location, close to the Cardamoms and the Thai border has made it the center of an active wildlife smuggling trade. In 2002, Cambodia’s infamous tiger hunter, blah blah was finally captured in Koh Kong Township. He was eventually charged with having slaughtered and sold 100 tigers, 75 something and blah ablah.[9]

Koh Kong town ship and the area nearby was also the centre of widespread illegal logging of broad leaf deciduous forests in the Cardomoms. According to environmental agencies, the government logging ban in 2001, has slowed but no prevented the logging trade (add Global witness story and ref).

[edit] Tourism

With the opening of the Thai-Cambodian bridge across the river and the building of several casinos near the border post, the town has become an increasingly popular tourist destination.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Total Road Atlas of Cambodia 2006, 3rd edition, Total Cambodge, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
  2. ^ Cambodia’s ‘Wild West’, Ek Madra, DAWN, May 18, 2002 [1]
  3. ^ The Sihanoukville Visitors Guide, Canby Publications, 2007 [2]
  4. ^ Total Road Atlas of Cambodia 2006, 3rd edition, Total Cambodge, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
  5. ^ Casino attack blamed on KR, The Nation (Thailand) 11-17-1998 [3]
  6. ^ Khmer Rouge Says it Held Cambodian City for a Day, Philadelphia Inquirer, April 22, 1984 [4]
  7. ^ Khmer Rouge Report Killing 28 Vietnamese, Associated Press, June 7, 1985 [5]
  8. ^ Casino attack blamed on KR, The Nation (Thailand) 11-17-1998 [6]
  9. ^ Cambodia finally tracks down and jails infamous tiger hunter. The Independent, Jan McGirk, Bangkok 3 September 2005 [7]


[[Category:Towns in Cambodia]]