Island Separated by Undeveloped Seaway
The lack of transportation has meant Koh Rong has so far missed out on the booming tourism experienced by Sihanoukville. (28 October 20
One day late in September, a small wooden boat left the beachin Sihanoukville and, engines rumbling, made its way off the coast to the island of Koh Rong. The boat had aboard 10foreign tourists, an uncommonly high number for the island, which remains separatedfrom the mainland and has gone undeveloped for years. Residents hope that this will change, but any improvementsto the island will first require an improvement in transportation. Currently,trips to the island are expensive, and, during the rainy season, travel can beunsafe. “Traveling down there depends on water transportation,” saidSom Chenda, director of Sihanoukville’s tourism department. “Technically, ourtransportation is not standard. We do not have ferries or cruising vessels.What we have at the moment is small wooden boats, and it is dangerous for along-distance trip in the big waves of the open sea like that.” The lack of transportation has meant Koh Rong has so farmissed out on the booming tourism experienced by Sihanoukville. Even now, the lack of accommodation on the island means thatforeign tourists prefer to take daytrips. Those who wish to stay will have tocamp on the beach or stay in a fishing village. The only site for foreign accommodation is a set ofbungalows being built on neighboring Koh Bang Koh Aun, referred to locally as “Sweetheart Island.” Villagers on Koh Rong say theyhave been prevented from looking closely at the bungalows, which are roped offby a floating red line 100 meters offshore. A trip to Koh Rong remains off the public itinerary of mosthotels or restaurants in Sihanoukville, adding to its isolation. A visitor mustarrange the trip, and bargain for the boat, which can cost between $50 and$170, depending on its size and speed. The trip can take between one and threehours. The island can also be accessed from Koh Sdech. The 1,400 people who occupy Koh Rong’s four villages seem farfrom outsiders, and the area was hardly accessed after people settled their asthe Khmer Rouge collapsed. The people here are poor, earning a living byfarming or fishing with long-tailed boats inconvenient for travel. Still, the older generation is at ease, and even if theisland seems under-developed, they have seen modernization. It used to takethree days to travel to the mainland, after all. "In the past if people go to [Sihanoukville] or Sre Ambilthey had to sail, or if there wsa no wind,” said Ma Ti, 56, who lives on the southerntip of the island. “Now it is much better.” Residents of the island say they hope developments by theRoyal Group, which intends to invest on the island, will bring them moreprosperity. “I believe my people will have better lives if the island isdeveloped by the company,” said Ung Nit, deputy chief of Koh Rong commune,adding that the construction of recent cell phone towers for three companieshad already helped. Jacov Montross, business and finance manager of Royal Group,said investment will have to start with a port, which will lead to a ferry,which “will cater more toward local populations.”