Emerald Triangle (Southeast Asia)

The Emerald Triangle is the shared border region between Cambodia, Laos and Thailand. It includes the area of Chong Bok (Thai: ช่องบก), a mountain pass through the Dangrek Range, which forms much of the natural boundary between Thailand and Cambodia. In Cambodia, the area is known as Mom Bei (Khmer: មុំបី).

The Emerald Triangle name was coined in 2000 as a project for international cooperation to promote tourism and economic development in the area. The name, referring to the area's lush environment, is a play on the pre-existing Golden Triangle region between Laos, Thailand and Myanmar. In the broader sense, the Emerald Triangle covers areas in seven provinces among the three countries: Preah Vihear, Oddar Meanchey and Stung Treng in Cambodia, Salavan and Champasak in Laos, and Ubon Ratchathani and Sisaket in Thailand.^[1] In the narrow sense, it refers to the boundary tripoint between the three countries, which lies near the Chong Bok pass. The pass has an elevation of 330 metres (1,080 ft).^[2]

From 1985 to 1987, during the Third Indochina War, the Chong Bok area was a site of armed clashes as Vietnamese forces made incursions into the Cambodian–Thai border region where the Khmer Rouge were based.^[3] Following the end of hostilities, a pavilion was built at the tripoint as a symbol of amity in 1993.^[4]

See also

• Cambodia–Laos border
• Cambodia–Thailand border
• Laos–Thailand border