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Banteay
Meanchey
I
Battambang
I
Kampot
I
Kandal
I
Kep
City
I
Koh
Kong
I
Kratie |
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Kampong
Cham
I Kampong
Chhang I
Kampong
Speu
I
Kampong
Thom
I
Mondulkiri |
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Oddor
Meanchey
I
Pailin
City
I
Preah
Vihear
I
Pursat
I
Prey
Veng
I
Phnom
Penh |
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Ratanakiri
I
Sihanoukville
I
Stung
Treng
I
Svay
Rieng
I
Siem
Reap
I
Takeo |
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Battambang
is
Cambodia's
second-largest
city
and
the
capital
of
Battambang
Province,
which
was
founded
in
the
11th
century.
It
is
the
former
capital
of
Monton
Kmer
and
lies
in
the
heart
of
the
Northwest
of
Cambodia.
Until
the
war
years,
in
which
almost
every
infrastructure
was
destructed
it
was
the
leading
rice-producing
province
of
the
country. |
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The
name
Battambang
or
Batdambang,
literally
means
"loss
of
stick"
referring
to a
legend
of
the
Preah
Bat
Dambang
Kranhoung
(Kranhoung
Stick
King).
The
population
is
nowadays
around
250,000
people
.
It’s
a
riverside
town,
home
to
some
of
the
best-preserved,
French
colonial
architecture
in
the
country.
Until
recently
Battambang
was
off
the
map
for
road
travellers,
but
facilities
have
recently
been
improved
and
it
makes
a
great
base
for
visiting
the
nearby
temples,
such
as
Phnom
Banon
and
Wat
Ek
Phnom,
as
well
as
the
closedby
villages.
It's
a
secondary
hub
on
the
overland
route
between
Thailand
and
Vietnam,
and
if
the
National
Highway
No 6
from
Poipet
to
Siem
Reap
is
ever
upgraded
it'll
become
an
even
smaller
hub.
The
network
of
charming
old
French
shop
houses
clustered
along
the
riverbank
is
the
real
highlight
here,
and
there
are
a
number
of
Wats
scattered
around
the
town.
The
small
museum
has
a
collection
of
Angkorian-era
artifacts,
and
beyond
the
town
there's
a
number
of
hilltop
temples,
yet
more
Wats
and
a
pretty
large
lake.
One
of
the
more
famous
hills
is
Phnom
Sampeau
(Ship
Hill)
with
the
notorious
killing
caves. |
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Battambang
did
not
give
way
to
the
Khmer
Rouge
movement
after
the
fall
of
Phnom
Penh,
but
it’s
been
in
the
centre
of
the
ongoing
government
Khmer
Rouge
conflict
ever
since
the
Vietnamese
invasion
in
1979
pushed
the
genocidal
regime
out
of
Phnom
Penh
and
to
the
Northwest.
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Until
the
surrender
deal
of
Ieng
Sary
(Khmer
Rouge
number
three
man
based
in
Pailin),Battambang
was
the
Khmer
Rouge
stronghold
in
the
region.
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In
the
earlier
history
Battambang
flip-flopped
back
and
forth
between
Thailand
(called
Siam
before
their
20th-century
renaming)
and
Cambodia.
It’s
been
a
part
of
Thailand
most
of
the
time
since
the
15th
century,
with
Cambodia
regaining
control
(more
specifically
due
the
French)
in
1907.
The
Thais
grabbed
it
again,
with
Japanese
assistance,
in
1941
and
kept
the
region
in
their
camp
until
the
World
War
II
years
in
1947.
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The
Allied
Forces
helped
persuade
the
Thais
that
the
region
was
originally
part
of
ancient
Cambodia
and
the
world
community
would
not
take
kindly
to
the
Thais
holding
onto
it
further.
Like
the
rest
of
the
Northwest,
there
is
still
a
lot
of
Thai
influence
apparent.
The
main
currency
is
still
the
Thai
Baht
and
many
people
are
able
to
converse
in
Thai.
But
the
area
is
very
Khmer,
with
ancient
Khmer
ruins
scattered
around,
and
even
the
ways
of
life
are
much
more
similar
to
the
rest
of
Cambodia
than
to
Thailand. |
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Battambang
city
is a
peaceful
and
pleasant
place
these
days.
The
main
parts
of
the
city
are
situated
closed
to
the
Sangker
River,
a
tranquil,
small
body
of
water
that
winds
its
way
through
Battambang
Province.
It
is a
nice,
picturesque
setting.
As
with
much
of
Cambodia,
the
French
architecture
is
an
attractive
bonus
of
the
city. |
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