The geography of Ratanakiri Province is diverse, encompassing rolling hills, mountains, plateaus, lowland watersheds, and lakes. Two major rivers, Tonle San and Tonle Srepok, flow from east to west across the province. The province is known for its lush forests; as of 1997, 70–80% of the province was forested, either with old-growth forest or with secondary forest regrown after cultivation. In the far north of the province are mountains of the Anna mite Range; the area is characterized by dense broadleaf evergreen forests, relatively poor soil, and abundant wildlife. In the highlands between Tonle San and Tonle Srepok, the home of the vast majority of Ratanakiri's population, a hilly basalt plateau provides fertile red soils.Secondary forests dominate this region.South of the Srepok River is a flat area of tropical deciduous forests.
Like other areas of Cambodia, Ratanakiri has a monsoonal climate with a rainy season from June to October, a cool season from November to January, and a hot season from March to May.Ratanakiri tends to be cooler than elsewhere in Cambodia. The average daily high temperature in the province is 34.0 °C (93.2 °F), and the average daily low temperature is 22.1 °C (71.8 °F).Annual precipitation is approximately 2,200 millimeters (87 in).Flooding often occurs during the rainy season and has been exacerbated by the newly built Yali Falls Dam.
Aerial view of Yak Loum, a crater lake near Ban lung
Ratanakiri has some of the most biologically diverse lowland tropical rainforest and montage forest ecosystems in mainland Southeast Asia.[40] One 1996 survey of two sites in Ratanakiri and one site in neighboring Mondulkiri recorded 44 mammal species, 76 bird species, and 9 reptile species. A 2007 survey of Ratanakiri's Virachey National Park recorded 30 ant species, 19 katydid species, 37 fish species, 35 reptile species, 26 amphibian species, and 15 mammal species, including several species never before observed. Wildlife includes Asian elephants, gaur, and monkeys. Ratanakiri is an important site for the conservation of endangered birds, including the giant ibis and the greater adjutant.[34] The province's forests contain a wide variety of flora; one half-hectare forest inventory identified 189 species of trees and 320 species of ground flora and saplings.Nearly half of Ratanakiri has been set aside in protected areas, which include Lomphat Wildlife Sanctuary and Virachey National Park. Even these protected areas, however, are subject to illegal logging, poaching, and mineral extraction. Though the province has been known for its relatively pristine environment, recent development has spawned environmental problems. The unspoiled image of the province often conflicts with the reality on the ground: visitors "expecting to find pristine forests teeming with wildlife are increasingly disappointed to find lifeless patches of freshly cut tree stumps".Land use patterns are changing as population growth has accelerated and agriculture and logging have intensified. Soil erosion is increasing, and microclimates are being altered.Habitat loss and unsustainable hunting have contributed to the province's decreasing biodiversity
Province Capital: 636 km. north - east of Phnom Penh
Area: 11,052 Square kilometers
Population: 94243 people (ethnic minority) represent 75.77% of the total.
Religion: Buddhism and Animism.
Accessibility: by air, by land, by boat (from Phnom Penh to Kracheh or Steung Treng in rainy season only), continue by car from Katie and by plane or car from Steung Treng to Ratanakiri.
Major occupations: farming
Major products: gemstones & agriculture
Major industries: farming & tourism
II. Introduction
Ratanakiri is situated on the north - east plateau, 636 Km from Phnom Penh. It is bordering Vietnam on the east, Laos PDR on the North, Steung Treng on the West and Mondul Kiri on the South. There are two rivers crossing the province ( Sre Pork and Sresan River )
A sparsely populated province, it is renowned for its unique natural beauty and wealth of natural resources. The physical and environmental characteristic of the province forms an impressive range including undulating hills and mountains, a level plateau, watershed lowlands, crater lakes, rivers and waterfalls. Forest cover varies from area to area, from the dense impenetrable forest in the northern reaches, which are still rich in wildlife, to the drier and sparser forest, found in the southwest. Similarly, the soil types present range from rich volcanic soil to the sandy soil found near rivers. Thus Ratanakiri province offers wonderful opportunities for Eco-tourism in Cambodia.
Day 1: welcome guest at Ratanakliri airport and transfer to Hotel, city tour, Phnom Eisey Patamak, have a swin at Yeak Loam Lake, visit culture center, overnight.
Day 2: Visit Ceal Rumplan ( stone field ), continue to Veun Sai district, take a trip along the Sre San river stop at Kachoun village, visit Tumpoun village, return journey through Ou'lalay, visit Kavet minority Chinese village, Banphang village, get the cotton yarn wrish tied and get water spray from elderly villages, visit Norng Kabat forest, turn back to Banlung, overnight.
Day 3: take a trip to Andoung Meas (Golden wells ) district, continue by boat to Taing Se commune along Sre San river, visit Charay hill tribe, visit gem mines and digging wells at Bar Kaev, on the way back, visit rubber plantation, coffee orchard, return to Banlung overnight.
Day 4: ( Jan - May ) Transfer to Lumphat district, take a bath at Sre Pork river, visit Lao village, visit Cashew farm coffee orchard at Ou'cheng, Kachanh and Katieng Waterfalls, return to Banlung.
Day 5: Take a trip to Ou'Seanlair Waterwall, visit gem mines and digging wells, visit Tumpuon village and return to Banlung, overnight.
Day 6: Shopping handicrafts fly back to Phnom Penh.
IV. Economic Potentiality
Ratanakiri is scarcely populated, and it is also true that the capital city does not have an adequate market, but if we can conclude that Ratanakiri abundantly possesses a variety of natural resources, they could then satisfactorily served as important elements to develop the national economy. Underground and on land resources are gold, mine, gem stone, granite, onyx, fertile red soil, water sources ( home of wild animals ), luxury and quality wood and above all, the beautiful weather with fresh and pure air, and yearly rain.
V. Transportation
By air: Now is not available.
By land: (636 km) from Phnom Penh - Kampong Cham - Kracheh (Overnight), continue to Rattanakkiri by car. From Phnom Penh to Steung Treng by boat in raining season (Overnight), continue to Ratanakiri by plane or car.
The popular kinds of transportation in banlung ( Ratanakiri ) are car, motorbike, elephants riding, boat or trekking.
Guidebooks and tourist publications all warn visitors to Bangkok to be wary of the “gemstone scam”. Unsuspecting tourists who are herded into jewelry stores by pushy Tuk-tuk drivers are sold so-called bargain stones. They are then “persuaded to avoid the “import duties” by having them conveniently mailed to their home countries. If they turn up at all, the stones usually turn out to well short of the value quoted.
No one likes to be taken for a sucker - but fortunately, there is a way to avoid these unscrupulous middle men, by going directly to the source!
Looking around the dusty jewel town
In the red dust coated province of Ratanakiri in the northeast of Cambodia, the locals are hard at work cultivating a range of produce, from cashews to bananas, sugar cane to glorious blue onyx gemstones. From the main township of Ratanakiri, a short 30 kilometer, 2 hour drive over roads so rough they are nicknamed “dancing roads,” visitors can venture out to the mining town of Chum Rom Bei Srak.
Here, we found sorters busy at work shifting through freshly mined stones. As they expertly work their way through the pile, stopping occasionally to trim the stones with wire cutters, they check for cracks and flaws that will determine whether the stone ends up a precious 5 carat jewel or a less expensive 1-2 carat stones.
This town, with its modest, wood slab stores and stilt homes, is no more than a cluster of buildings along the main road at the entrance to the mine. In contrast to the rest of Cambodia, it has a barely lived in feel. This is hardly surprising as the mine was only discovered 4 years earlier.
There are no fancy equipment or structures in sight, just a rough field of simple square holes with foot holds cut into the inside walls of the mine. Some are more elaborate, connected by shafts, but most look no more sophisticated than an oversized rabbit whole.
The miners work in teams of close friends and immediate family. Unquestionable trust and honesty is required in order to work the mines successfully, as a good stone could be the equivalent of a month’s salary in this deeply impoverished country. The work is hard, with only simple tools available, buckets and hand-turned winches to dig out the mines to the minimum 8 feet depth. The stone seams do not appear until at least this depth below the surface.
Odd foreigner’s request — to polish own stones
The day we visited, Chinese New Year celebrations saw most of the miners enjoying rice wine parties rather than working their mines. However, Mr. Yuen, a 24 year old, 4 year veteran of gemstone mining was hard at work with his cane-woven sieve in a water-filled slush pit.
He paused long enough to show us some of his earlier finds. In our hands they were rather uninteresting looking cola colored pebbles. While we admired the stones and the hard labor to extract them, our ex-commodities trader tour guide could not help himself and out of habit he started negotiating a price. When we realized that we could have these expertly cut in town to reveal the polished blue jewel beneath, the $5 US price tag for 3 stones seemed a worthwhile investment.
Our return to the township of Ratanakiri saw us drop by one of the 3 gemstone stores. These are simple, tiny rooms, opening directly onto the street without even a wall, door or window (Tiffany’s they certainly are not!). Instead, there was just a glass counter in front displaying the cut stones with a workbench visible behind. The lack of furnishings allowed us to view the skilled cutter practicing his craft, working the rotating wheel in the style of a potter’s wheel to turn the brown stones into blue gems.
Our chosen cutter took some convincing before taking on our 3 stone commissions. Normally dealing in lots of 50-100 stones at a time, he couldn’t work out why we crazy tourists would pay more to have our stones cut than what we would spend to get ready-cut stones. But with some fast talking by our local guide named Lucky, our request was met, with a deal struck at $1 a carat.
With the heating and cutting process taking 2 hours, and the setting sun a reminder that we were expected at a 75th birthday party soon, we were going to have to wait until the next day to see the finished product. But the following day, our freshly cut, freshly polished “babies” arrived. Like any new parents we fussed over and photographed our new arrivals from every angle. Our “eldest”, biggest stone came in at a whopping 4 carat, our middle 2- carat, and the runt of the litter, the one we were told would turn to dust under the cutters tools, a respectable 1-carat. Total investment, including cutting: US$12!
Had we beat the scammers and made a good investment? Who cares! For 12 bucks we got to take the journey from mine, to gem cutter to finished stone. As an added bonus, we met a visiting geologist, on the hunt for Asian Rubies and Sapphires, who declared our modest investment a savvy buy and our gemstones to be worth at least $100 US. Definitely the most satisfying jewelry shopping I’ve ever done!!
History
Present-day Ratanakiri has been occupied since at least the Stone or Bronze Age, and trade between the region's highlanders and towns along the Gulf of Thailand dates to at least the 4th century A.D. The region was invaded by Annamites, the Cham, the Khmer, and the Thai during its early history, but no empire ever brought the area under centralized control. From the 13th century or earlier until the 19th century, highland villages were often raided by Khmer, Lao, and Thai slave traders. The region was conquered by local Laotian rulers in the 18th century and then by the Thai in the 19th century.The area was incorporated into French Indochina in 1893, and colonial rule replaced slave trading. The French built huge rubber plantations, especially in Labansiek (present-day Banlung); indigenous workers were used for construction and rubber harvesting. While under French control, the land comprising present-day Ratanakiri was transferred from Siam (Thailand) to Laos and then to Cambodia.Although highland groups initially resisted their colonial rulers, by the end of the colonial era in 1953 they had been subdued.
Ratanakiri Province was created in 1959 from land that had been the eastern area of Stung Treng Province.The name Ratanakiri is formed from the Khmer words (ratana "gem" from Sanskrit ratna) and (kiri "mountain" from Sanskrit giri), describing two features for which the province is known. During the 1950s and 1960s, Norodom Sihanouk instituted a development and Khmerization campaign in northeast Cambodia that was designed to bring villages under government control, limit the influence of insurgents in the area, and "modernize" indigenous communities.Some Khmer Loeu were forcibly moved to the lowlands to be educated in Khmer language and culture, ethnic Khmer from elsewhere in Cambodia were moved into the province, and roads and large rubber plantations were built. After facing harsh working conditions and sometimes involuntary labor on the plantations, many Khmer Loeu left their traditional homes and moved farther from provincial towns. In 1968, tensions led to an uprising by the Brao in which several Khmer were killed. The government responded harshly, torching settlements and killing hundreds of villagers.
U.S. president Richard Nixon (shown here discussing Cambodia at a 1970 press conference) authorized the covert 1969–1970 bombing of Vietnamese targets in Ratanakiri.
In the 1960s, the ascendant Khmer Rouge forged an alliance with ethnic minorities in Ratanakiri, exploiting Khmer Loeu resentment of the central government.The Communist Party of Kampuchea headquarters was moved to Ratanakiri in 1966, and hundreds of Khmer Loeu joined CPK units. During this period, there was also extensive Vietnamese activity in Ratanakiri.Vietnamese communists had operated in Ratanakiri since the 1940s; at a June 1969 press conference, Sihanouk said that Ratanakiri was "practically North Vietnamese territory”. Between March 1969 and May 1970, the United States undertook a massive covert bombing campaign in the region, aiming to disrupt sanctuaries for communist Vietnamese troops. Villagers were forced outside of main towns to escape the bombings, foraging for food and living on the run with the Khmer Rouge. In June 1970, the central government withdrew its troops from Ratanakiri, abandoning the area to Khmer Rouge control. The Khmer Rouge regime, which had not initially been harsh in Ratanakiri, became increasingly oppressive.The Khmer Loeu were forbidden from speaking their native languages or practicing their traditional customs and religion, which were seen as incompatible with communism. Communal living became compulsory, and the province's few schools were closed. Purges of ethnic minorities increased in frequency, and thousands of refugees fled to Vietnam and Laos. Preliminary studies indicate that bodies accounting for approximately 5% of Ratanakiri's residents were deposited in mass graves, a significantly lower rate than elsewhere in Cambodia.
After the Vietnamese defeated the Khmer Rouge in 1979, government policy toward Ratanakiri became one of benign neglect. The Khmer Loeu were permitted to return to their traditional livelihoods, but the government provided little infrastructure in the province.Under the Vietnamese, there was little contact between the provincial government and many local communities. Long after the fall of the Khmer Rouge regime, however, Khmer Rouge rebels remained in the forests of Ratanakiri. Rebels largely surrendered their arms in the 1990s, though attacks along provincial roads continued until 2002.
Ratanakiri's recent history has been characterized by development and attendant challenges to traditional ways of life. The national government has built roads, encouraged tourism and agriculture, and facilitated rapid immigration of lowland Khmers into Ratanakiri.Road improvements and political stability have increased land prices, and land alienation in Ratanakiri has been a major problem. Despite a 2001 law allowing indigenous communities to obtain collective title to traditional lands, some villages have been left nearly landless. The national government has granted concessions over land traditionally possessed by Ratanakiri's indigenous peoples, and even land "sales" have often involved bribes to officials, coercion, threats, or misinformation. Following the involvement of several international non-governmental organizations (NGOs), land alienation has decreased in frequency. In the 2000s, Ratanakiri also received hundreds of Degar (Montagnard) refugees fleeing unrest in neighboring Vietnam; the Cambodian government was criticized for its forcible repatriation of many refugees.