Mithona Phouthong ousted as Koh Kong governor amid Thai-Cambodian mistrust
Mithona Phouthong, niece of Cambodian People’s Party Vice President Tea Banh, has been removed as governor of Koh Kong province, ending the family’s local political dynasty rooted in the Thai-Koh Kong community.
According to Nation TV, Koh Kong has long symbolised the political influence of the Thai-Koh Kong clan and served as a discreet communication channel between Cambodia and Thailand during times of crisis. That era, however, appears to be over.
During past conflicts between Thailand and Cambodia, Tea Banh often acted as a backchannel mediator, trusted because of his Thai-Koh Kong heritage, fluency in Thai, and gratitude for Thailand’s past support in helping the Thai-Koh Kong faction resist the Khmer Rouge.
But in the current border dispute, Senate President Hun Sen has embraced hardline nationalism. Mithona’s removal is seen as cutting off a traditional backchannel, with opposition voices claiming it reflects deepening suspicion of Siam—even extending to the Banh family itself.
On August 20, King Norodom Sihamoni signed a royal decree appointing Mithona as Deputy Minister of Women’s Affairs, while Chea Voa was named Koh Kong governor. Just two days earlier, on August 18, Chea had been elevated to deputy governor, making her the second woman to lead the province.
Mithona’s final act as governor was attending the special session of the Thai-Cambodian Regional Border Committee (RBC), held on August 16 at Barn Talaepu Resort in Trat’s Khlong Yai district.
Her transfer to a national ministry marks the end of the Phouthong-Phramkesorn family’s succession in Koh Kong’s governorship.
Thai-Koh Kong heritage
Koh Kong is not an island but a landmass bordering Thailand’s Trat province. In 1855, King Mongkut incorporated it as Prachan Khiri Khet.
Following the Franco-Siamese War, the territory was ceded to Cambodia. Many ethnic Thais relocated to Koh Kut and Khlong Yai, but those who remained came to be known as “Thai-Koh Kong.”
In modern Cambodian history, Say Phouthong, a Thai-Koh Kong leader, founded the faction that fought for independence from France and later joined Cambodia’s revolutionary movement.
In 1977, the Thai-Koh Kong faction split from the Khmer Rouge to ally with Heng Samrin and Vietnam in toppling the regime. After the founding of the People’s Republic of Kampuchea in 1979, Say Phouthong served as vice head of state. He retired in Khlong Yai, Trat, before passing away in 2018.
Tea Banh emerged as Say Phouthong’s political heir within Cambodia’s power structure, alongside allies such as Rung Phramkesorn and Yuth Phouthong.
Under Prime Minister Hun Sen, Thai-Koh Kong businessman Ly Yong Phat rose to dominate Koh Kong’s economy, while provincial governance remained in the hands of the Phramkesorn and Phouthong families for decades.
Heirs to the Phouthong legacy
In 2016, Mithona Phouthong was appointed deputy governor, while Paitoon Phramkesorn, son of Rung, held the governorship. After the 2017 local elections, Mithona became Koh Kong’s first female governor, a moment celebrated by both Thai-Koh Kong and Thai-Koh Kut communities.
She studied at the US Army War College before returning to support her father, Yuth Phouthong, a former governor of Koh Kong. Years earlier, Yuth had taken her to attend a family funeral in Koh Kut, Trat, where she met relatives who had fled during the Franco-Siamese conflict.
Her most controversial legacy as governor was the Dara Sakor International Airport project in Kiri Sakor district, granted to a Chinese company under a 99-year lease covering 225,000 rai. The project drew international scrutiny for its scale and strategic implications.
