:Khemarak Phoumin

File:Cambodian fishing boats.jpg]]

Koh Kong has long had a reputation as a "wild west" frontier town.{{cite news|author=Madra, Ek|url=http://www.dawn.com/2002/05/18/int13.htm|title=Cambodia's 'Wild West'|work=Dawn|date=18 May 2002|access-date=4 January 2009}} 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 AIDS infection{{cite web|author=Gill, Ian |url=http://www.adb.org/media/Articles/2004/6186_cambodia_aids/ |title=Condom Campaign May Be Stemming HIV/AIDS Spread at Border Town |date=3 November 2004 |website=Asian Development Bank |access-date=4 January 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041226180435/http://www.adb.org/Media/Articles/2004/6186_cambodia_aids/ |archive-date=26 December 2004 }} have given Koh Kong its frontier town reputation. However, with the building of the Thai-Cambodian Koh Kong Bridge across the river in 2002, and the upgrading of the road to the national highway, industry and investment have increased and the town is gradually becoming a modest tourist destination.

Koh Kong town is accessible by land, sea, and air. From Bangkok it is {{convert|450|km}} by road to Hat Lek in Khlong Yai District in Thailand and a short trip from there to the Cham Yeam international border crossing. From the border it is {{convert|10|km}} to the town.{{cite web|url=http://www.canbypublications.com/sihnoukville/kohkongintro.htm|title=Koh Kong City, Cambodia|year=2007|website= Canby Publications|access-date=4 January 2009 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080731172047/http://www.canbypublications.com/sihnoukville/kohkongintro.htm |archive-date = 31 July 2008}} Travelling from the capital Phnom Penh, it is {{convert|133|km}} west along National Highway 4 to the town of Sre Ambel. From Sre Ambel a narrow road winds {{convert|138|km}} through the lower Cardamom Mountains before reaching Koh Kong. The road crosses four large rivers where bridges have recently been built. In 2002, the Koh Kong Bridge was completed linking the town of Koh Kong with the border crossing to Thailand. The bridge was completed at a cost of {{US$|7.2 million}} and is {{convert|1900|m}} long, making it the second longest bridge in Cambodia.{{cite news|url=http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200204/04/eng20020404_93484.shtml|title=Koh Kong Bridge Completed in Southwestern Cambodia|date=4 April 2002|work=People's Daily|access-date=2009-01-12}}

Until the end of the 1990s, Koh Kong was one of the least secure parts of the country. Remaining elements of the Khmer Rouge based in the lower Cardamoms still posed a serious threat to locals and travellers. 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.{{cite news|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=PI&s_site=philly&p_multi=PI&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB297780D42A47F&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|title= Khmer Rouge Says it Held Cambodian City for a Day|date=22 April 1984|work=Philadelphia Inquirer|access-date=4 January 2009}} On 6 June 1985 Khmer Rouge troops attacked an outpost near the provincial town. Khmer Rouge Radio reported that they had killed 28 Vietnamese soldiers and injured 34 others.{{cite news|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=BG&p_theme=bg&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EADEAF367152044&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|title=Khmer Rouge Report Killing 28 Vietnamese|date=7 June 1985|agency=Associated Press|access-date=4 January 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110609223142/http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=BG&p_theme=bg&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EADEAF367152044&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|archive-date=9 June 2011|url-status=dead}} They attacked the Koh Kong Casino with rifles, rocket-propelled grenades, and mortars.{{cite news|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-18449735.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110516180027/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-18449735.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=16 May 2011|title= Casino attack blamed on KR|date=17 November 1998|work= The Nation (Thailand)|access-date=4 January 2009}}

As late as 1998, the Khmer Rouge were still active in the area. In November of that year, one of the last recorded deleterious incidents before the surrender of the remaining Khmer Rouge forces to the government occurred near the international border crossing outside of Koh Kong city. On Monday night at 18:10, the casino attached to the Koh Kong International Resort was attacked by elements of the Khmer Rouge. One Thai gambler was injured in the attack which involved rocket-propelled grenades, mortars and conventional rifles. The Trat police chief later stated that the attack was prompted by the casino failing to make a protection payment to the rebel group.

File:Koh Kong logging.JPG, Cardamom Mountains, Koh Kong Province]]

Koh Kong town is 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.{{cite web |url=http://kohrong-sanloem.com/geography/list-of-islands |title=List of Islands |publisher=Cambodia islands – Island Species Cambodia |access-date=29 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150516191541/http://kohrong-sanloem.com/geography/list-of-islands |archive-date=16 May 2015 |url-status=dead }} The town's relatively remote location, close to the Cardamoms and the Thai border, has made it the centre of an active wildlife smuggling trade. Much wildlife captured in the Central Cardamoms goes to supply the restaurants and fresh markets in Koh Kong town. Wild meat is usually for local consumption but various animals parts, bones, and hides are sold to wildlife traders. In 2000, wildlife traders from Thailand were reported to come to Koh Kong town each month to purchase wildlife products. Some trophies are also reported to be sold to Trat Province in Thailand.Conservation Status of the Cardamom Mountains in Southwestern Cambodia, Preliminary Studies, Frank Momberg and Hunter Weiler (eds.) retrieved 4/1/2009 [http://www.felidae.org/PROJECTS/Tiger_in_Cambodia/FFI%20Cardamoms%20report%201999.doc]

In 2005, Cambodia's infamous tiger hunter Yor Ngun was finally captured in Koh Kong town. He was eventually charged with having killed and sold at least 19 tigers, 40 leopards, 30 elephants, 500 gaur, banteng and sambar, 40 Sun bears and three Asian black bears.{{cite news|author=McGirk, Jan |url=http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/article309941.ece |title=Cambodia finally tracks down and jails infamous tiger hunter |date=3 September 2005 |work=The Independent|access-date=4 January 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930190154/http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/article309941.ece |archive-date=30 September 2007 }} Ngun, who was 57 at the time of his arrest, is reported to have been trapping and snaring animals in the Cambodian jungle since the 1970s.{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4211506.stm|title=Cambodia tiger hunter gets jail|date=3 September 2005|work=BBC News|access-date=2009-01-09}} The organisation Wildlife Alliance (known at the time as WildAid) had Ngun on their "top wanted hunters list" since 2001 due to his reputation as a "notorious tiger hunter". Authorities captured him once in 2004, but he was released after signing an agreement to stop poaching. At the time of his arrest in Koh Kong, he was carrying animal parts, including 25 bear jaws and 82 bear nails. In August 2005, he was sentenced at the Koh Kong provincial court to seven years in prison.{{cite news|url=http://newsgroups.derkeiler.com/Archive/Soc/soc.culture.cambodia/2005-08/msg00533.html|title=Notorious Cambodian tiger hunter sentenced to seven years in prison|date=2005-08-31|agency=Associated Press|access-date=2009-01-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111002080128/http://newsgroups.derkeiler.com/Archive/Soc/soc.culture.cambodia/2005-08/msg00533.html|archive-date=2 October 2011|url-status=dead}}

Koh Kong township and the area nearby was also the centre of widespread illegal logging of broad leaf deciduous forests in the Cardamoms. According to environmental agencies, the government logging ban in 2001 has slowed, but not halted, the logging trade.

Khemarak Phoumin has a tropical monsoon climate (Köppen Am), similar to the climates found in the Myanmar cities of Sittwe and Mawlamyine, with moderate to very little rainfall from November to April and very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall from May to October. Orographic influences from the Cardamom Mountains produce an annual rainfall about three times that of Phnom Penh or Siem Reap.

{{Weather box

|width = auto

| location = Khemarak Phoumin

| metric first = Yes

| single line = Yes

|temperature colour = pastel

| Jan high C = 31.3

| Feb high C = 31.5

| Mar high C = 32.1

| Apr high C = 32.8

| May high C = 32.2

| Jun high C = 30.9

| Jul high C = 30.5

| Aug high C = 30.0

| Sep high C = 30.1

| Oct high C = 30.9

| Nov high C = 31.3

| Dec high C = 31.5

| Jan mean C = 26.0

| Feb mean C = 26.8

| Mar mean C = 27.7

| Apr mean C = 28.5

| May mean C = 28.2

| Jun mean C = 27.4

| Jul mean C = 27.1

| Aug mean C = 26.8

| Sep mean C = 26.8

| Oct mean C = 26.9

| Nov mean C = 26.7

| Dec mean C = 26.4

| year mean C =

| Jan low C = 20.8

| Feb low C = 22.2

| Mar low C = 23.4

| Apr low C = 24.2

| May low C = 24.3

| Jun low C = 23.9

| Jul low C = 23.7

| Aug low C = 23.7

| Sep low C = 23.5

| Oct low C = 23.0

| Nov low C = 22.2

| Dec low C = 21.3

|rain colour=green

|Jan rain mm=15

|Feb rain mm=41

|Mar rain mm=77

|Apr rain mm=110

|May rain mm=397

|Jun rain mm=737

|Jul rain mm=803

|Aug rain mm=839

|Sep rain mm=606

|Oct rain mm=286

|Nov rain mm=96

|Dec rain mm=19

|source 1 = Climate-Data.org{{cite web

|url = https://en.climate-data.org/location/36123/

|title = Climate: Koh Kong

|publisher=Climate-Data.org

|access-date = 31 October 2020}}

}}

{{asof|2019}}, a deep-sea port is being developed in Koh Kong by Cambodian tycoon Ly Yong Phat.{{cite news |last1=Waewkraihong |first1=Jakkrit |title=Boom along the border |url=https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/1704672/boom-along-the-border |access-date=1 July 2019 |work=Bangkok Post |date=1 July 2019}}

• Special Economic Zones of Cambodia
• Koh Kong (island)

{{reflist|2}}

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{{wikivoyage|Koh Kong}}

• [http://www.kohkonginter.com/Koh Kong International Resort website]{{Dead link|date=August 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
• [http://www.koh-kong-cambodia.com/index.html Koh Kong Tourist Site]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20160205024320/http://www.kohkong-island.com/index.html Koh Kong island Tourist Site]
• [http://www.neptuneadventure-cambodia.com/ Very informative Adventure Tours Site in Tatai]

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Category:Provincial capitals in Cambodia

Category:Cities in Cambodia

Category:Populated places in Koh Kong province