KOH MAK, Thailand -- On a map, Koh Mak looks like a splotch of spilled ink in the Gulf of Thailand, close to Thailand's maritime border with neighboring Cambodia, with splashes stretching to the north, south, east and west.

Thailand's remote Koh Mak island boasts the hallmarks of a tropical paradise. (Photos by Ron Emmons unless specified otherwise)
KOH MAK, Thailand -- On a map, Koh Mak looks like a splotch of spilled ink in the Gulf of Thailand, close to Thailand's maritime border with neighboring Cambodia, with splashes stretching to the north, south, east and west.