BATDAMBANG

also spelled Battambang, town, western Cambodia. It is the second largest urban area in Cambodia and lies along the Sngk River northwest of Phnom Penh, the national capital. From 1794 to 1904 and again from 1941 to 1946 the town was under Siamese sovereignty. Batdmbng had a substantial Chinese trading community until the Khmer Rouge government took control in 1975. Among its industries are a textile mill and rice mills; there is also a rice research station. Batdmbng is linked to Phnom Penh both by railway and by flights from its major airfield. Cultural assets include the Buddhist temple Wat Poveal and 10th-century ruins of the Khmer empire, including several temples. Pop. (1987 est.) 45,000.