Kratié Province

Infobox Cambodian Province
name = Kratié
khmer = ក្រចេះ
area = 11,094
population = 279,140 [ StreamInitiative [http://www.streaminitiative.org/Library/pdf/pdf-cambodia/03aKratieKohChbarfinal.pdf "A livelihoods study of farmers and fishers in Koh Chbar Village Kratie Province"] p.1 Accessed June 10, 2008.]
population_as_of = 1998
density = 23.7
isocode = KH-10
map

Kratié ( _km. ក្រចេះ, also transliterated Kracheh) is a province in northeastern Cambodia that borders Stung Treng Province to the north, Mondulkiri Province to the east, Kampong Cham Province and Vietnam to the south, and Kampong Thom Province to the west. Its capital is Kratié.

History

The area near Kratié along the Mekong River was one of the most densely populated regions of pre-Angkorian Cambodia. [Chandler, David. "A History of Cambodia". Westview Press (2007), [http://books.google.com/books?id=psLv6GUB8JoC&pg=PA33&sig=39nElE-OGW2LfdNK9AQJNrK1rQw p. 33] . ISBN 0813343631.]

Lon Nol was the province's governor in 1945. [Jessup, John E. "An Encyclopedic Dictionary of Conflict and Conflict Resolution, 1945-1996". Greenwood Publishing Group (1998), [http://books.google.com/books?id=jh3Q5F7BaB8C&pg=PA434&sig=7oOgvhyIQhPHLnyWGMezbOJaJgg p. 434] . ISBN 0313281122.]

During foreign incursions into Cambodia and the country's civil wars, Kratie saw especially heavy fighting. During Operation Menu, Kratie was heavily bombed by the United States. [http://www.adb.org/Documents/Reports/Indigenous_Peoples/CAM/chapter_5.pdf Cam Region Prelim Edit ] ] Recovering unexploded ordnance and de-mining has been a major recent initiative. [http://www.mivactrust.org/kampi.htm "Kampi Village Project"] . MiVAC Trust. Accessed June 30, 2008.]

On December 30, 1978, Vietnamese forces captured Kratie. [Brune, Lester H. & Richard Dean Burns. "Chronological History of U.S. Foreign Relations". Routledge (2002), [http://books.google.com/books?id=WJnMg9sVV78C&pg=PA867&sig=snhMUwDWSJh5fuKx_7Qc9-xI-D8#PPA867,M1 p. 867] . ISBN 041593916X.] Civil war continued in Kratie after the defeat of Pol Pot.

Geography

The Mekong River flows from the north to the south of the province; approximately 140 km of the river is located in Kratie. The river is home to Irrawaddy dolphins, fishes, and birds. The flow of the Mekong River at Kratie town varies greatly. [Murdiyarso, D. "Water resources management policy responses to land cover change in South East Asian river basins". "Forests, Water and People in the Humid Tropics: Past, Present and Future" (M. Bonell & L.A. Bruijnzeel, editors). Cambridge UniversityPress (2005), [http://books.google.com/books?id=vGC1iBfhglMC&pg=PA124&sig=xpng1qyA6202rwul-3gLFHIJ1HU p. 124] . ISBN 0521829534.] [Dudgeon, David. "Tropical Asian Streams: Zoobenthos, Ecology and Conservation". Hong Kong University Press (1999), [http://books.google.com/books?id=Iqkx1anCk_gC&pg=PA26&sig=12rIB2XNMPt8OfDI6semmdv8H_g p. 26] . ISBN 9622094694.] There are hundreds of seasonally flooded islands in the river. As of 2007, the Cambodian government planned to build a dam on the Mekong River near Kratie town. [http://www.terraper.org/articles/Sambor-TERRA%20Sept07.pdf] The province also contains many forests, the Phnom Pram Poan mountain range, Phnom Prech , and rubber plantations. Eastern Kratie is an important bird area. [ [http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/search/species_search.html?action=SitHTMDetails.asp&sid=16677&m=0 Mondulkiri / Kratie Lowlands (Important Birds Areas of Cambodia) ] ]

The province is mostly covered in dense forest. [http://www.tourismcambodia.com/travelguides/detail.asp?ProvinceID=12&ItemN=1 "Geography"] . Tourism of Cambodia (2007). Accessed June 18, 2008.] Craters from Operation Menu bombings during the Vietnam War, some of which are filled with water, are still visible in the countryside. Some land in Kratie is used for agriculture, though a smaller percentage than elsewhere in Cambodia.

The province has a monsoonal climate, with a cool season from November to March, a hot season from March to May, and a rainy season from May to October. [ [http://www.tourismcambodia.com/travelguides/detail.asp?ProvinceID=12&ItemN=3 "Climate"] . Tourism of Cambodia (2007). Accessed June 18, 2008.] Flooding is frequent in Kratie; the Mekong may overflow by as much as 4 m during the rainy season. [ [http://www.sea-user.org/news-detail.php?news_id=2171 SEA-USER News ] ]

Kratie is known for its attractive riverside scenery and its green villages and paddies. [ [http://www.travelfish.org/province/cambodia/northeastern_cambodia/kratie "Kratie Province"] . Travelfish. Accessed June 18, 2008.]

Kratie's fisheries are part of the Upper Mekong River Zone, which is important support for migratory species and subsistence fishing but does not play a major role in commercial fishing.http://www.cdri.org.kh/webdata/download/wp/wp23e.pdf]

Forests in Kratie tend to be open and less dense than elsewhere in Cambodia; they are generally made up of deciduous trees that lose their leaves during the dry season.

Government

Kham Phoeun is the governor of Kratie Province. [http://www.pep-net.org/NEW-PEP/Group/CBMS/Other%20meets/newsletter/CBMS%20Updates%20Issues/Sept_07.pdf] Venn Sokhoy is the deputy governor. [http://www.ramsar.org/wwd/7/wwd2007_rpts_cambodia1.pdf "Report on World Wetlands Day"] (PDF). Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (February 6, 2007). Accessed June 30, 2008.] In the 2007 commune council elections, the vast majority of seats went to members of the Cambodian People's Party. [http://necelect.org.kh/English/ElectionResult/2007/Official%20results/Official%20Results(seast_e).pdf "Official Results of the 2007 Commune Councils Election"] (PDF). Cambodia National Election Committee (April 24, 2007). Accessed 2008-05-04.] Women make up 17.4% of commune council members. [ [http://www.necelect.org.kh/English/ElectionResult/2007/Official%20results/Result%20Women%20in%2024%20provinces.pdf "Number of Women elected as Communes Councils’ Members for the 2007 Commune Council elections Nationwide"] (PDF). Cambodia National Election Committee (May 4, 2007). Accessed 2008-05-04.] In 2005, Kratie received 1.69 billion riels from the commune/sangkat fund, of which development funds were 1.20 billion riels and funds for administration were 0.49 billion riels. [http://www.cdri.org.kh/webdata/flashrep/2006/Feb06.pdf]

Economy and transportation

Most Kratie residents are subsistence farmers or fishers. [http://www.foodsecurity.gov.kh/docs/ENG/Part%201-Spien%20Sokhapheap%20Baseline%20Survey-ENG.pdf PFD Kratie Spien Sokhapheap baseline survey final report ] ] 78% of residents are employed in agriculture. Thirty percent of Kratie households live on less than US$1 per day; the province's poverty rate of 32% is somewhat lower than the national average of 39%. [ [http://www.mekongtourism.org/site/index.php?id=153 UPDATE - December 2007: MekongTourism.org ] ] Some gold mining occurs in Kratie. [ [http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/country/2000/9317000.pdf The Mineral Industries of Cambodia and Laos in 2000 ] ] [http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/country/1997/9307097.pdf] Most soil in Kratie is poor; the province primarily grows perennial industrial crops like rubber. [ [http://www.mekonginfo.org/mrc_en/doclib.nsf/0/FBD88E391DE3E897C725682C0024A905/$FILE/FULLTEXT.html Introduction ] ] Illegal logging supervised by provincial officials is a problem. [ [http://www.globalwitness.org/media_library_detail.php/335/en/laundering_of_illegal_timber_undermines_forestry_r Laundering of illegal timber undermines forestry reform in Cambodia - media library - global witness ] ] Kratie has the potential to be an ecotourism destination. [http://www.cdri.org.kh/webdata/download/caer/caer01e.pdf p70] Kratie's road system is poorly developed. As of 1998, the average household possessed 0.48 hectares of agricultural land, and 37% were landless.http://www.cdri.org.kh/webdata/download/wp/wp21e.pdf]

ocial issues

Land concessions often cover land customarily owned or used by people in Kratie Province. [Stidsen, Stille (editor). "The Indigenous World 2007". International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (2007), [http://books.google.com/books?id=PSCoD-gc4_cC&pg=PA347&sig=BLf38ghtPViwqHIZag-bKi8Q8nw p. 347] . ISBN 8791563232.] [Stidsen, "The Indigenous World 2007", [http://books.google.com/books?id=PSCoD-gc4_cC&pg=PA349&sig=0WYAoCuVwO3Fc6kXLxvvjokD9AU p. 349] .] In 2004, community land organizers were threatened by the military after they confiscated chainsaws used for illegal logging. ["Human Rights Watch World Report 2005". Human Rights Watch (2005), [http://books.google.com/books?id=OZ3a4M_oZccC&pg=PA259&sig=ljgYKwdqKppGWrcPPwPR4o2NlF0 p. 259] . ISBN 1564323315.] An indigenous people's organization is active in Kratie Province. [Stidsen, "The Indigenous World 2007", [http://books.google.com/books?id=PSCoD-gc4_cC&pg=PA353&sig=PLm0ERYC6qhTxY6zTSxfJinVIOk p. 353] .]

Health, education, and development

Schistosomiasis is a problem in Kratie province. [ [http://www.cnm.gov.kh/VBD%20Watch/vbd3.htm welcome CNM ] ] The incidence of malaria and dengue fever rose sharply in the mid-2000s; this increase has been attributed to changes in climate. [ [http://www.oxfamamerica.org/whatwedo/campaigns/climate_change/news_publications/cambodia-changing-climate-leads-to-increase-in-malaria-and-other-diseases Oxfam America: Cambodia: Changing Climate Leads to Increase in Malaria and Other Diseases ] ]

Malaria is hyperendemic in Kratie's forests. The provincial infant mortality rate of 97/1,000 and child mortality rate of 80/1,000 are significantly higher than the national average (68/1,000 and 53/1,000, respectively).

Demography

There is a substantial Vietnamese minority in Kratie Province. [Jordens, Jay. "Persecution of Cambodia's ethnic Vietnamese communities during and since the UNTAC period". "Propaganda, Politics, and Violence in Cambodia" (Steve Heder & Judy Ledgerwood, editors). M.E. Sharpe (1995), [http://books.google.com/books?id=RVqHYRHFJ1QC&pg=PA136&sig=K1AWd9_fhU5VHfKXD4gg_4N5ezw p. 136] . ISBN 1563246651.] Kratie is home to seven indigenous groups: Phnorng , Kouy , Mil , Khonh, Kraol, Steang , and Thamoun . [http://www.kratie.gov.kh/english_version/aboutkratie/geography.htm "Geography"] . Government of Kratie Province. Accessed June 18, 2008.] http://www.adb.org/Documents/Reports/Indigenous_Peoples/CAM/chapter_2.pdf] Approximately 70% of the province's residents live along the Mekong River; the area beyond the river is sparsely populated. [ [http://www.tourismcambodia.com/travelguides/provinces.asp?provinceId=12 "Welcome to Kratie, Cambodia"] . Tourism of Cambodia (2007). Accessed June 18, 2008.] Approximately 8% of Kratie's population is indigenous; it is one of four provinces with a substantial indigenous population. 70% of the population is rural.

Districts

It is subdivided into 5 districts.

References

External links

* [http://www.kratie.gov.kh/english_version/index.htm Official provincial website] (English version)
* [http://www.cambodia.gov.kh/unisql1/egov/english/province/kratie.html District, commune, and village listing]
* [http://www.moc.gov.kh/national_data_resource/Provincial%20Resources/Kratie/Index.htm Kratie provincial resources]
* [http://www.eac.gov.kh/Kratie.php Kratie map]
* [http://www.tourismcambodia.com/travelguides/provinces.asp?provinceId=12 Official tourism website]
*wikitravel|Kratie