Burmese–Siamese War (1791–1793)

After the Burmese defeat in the Nine Armies' War, the power balance on the Tenasserim Coast shifted in favor of the Siamese who went on their offensives. King Rama I of Siam, along with his generals, marched to Tavoy in January 1788. He sent his two generals Chao Phraya Mahasena Pli and Chao Phraya Rattanapipit ahead as vanguard. The Siamese troops crossed the Tenasserim Hills at modern Pilok, Thong Pha Phum District, Kanchanaburi Province. Steeped mountains of the route hindered transportations. King Rama I himself had to climb through the ropes to reach the mountaintop.[2] The two Siamese generals defeated the Burmese led by Natmilin in the Battle of Kaleinaung. King Rama I then laid siege on Tavoy, leading to the Siege of Tavoy that lasted for half a month.[2] The town of Tavoy was defended by the Burmese general Maha Thiri Thihathu ("Kinwun Mingyi" in Thai sources) and Nemyo Kyawdin the governor of Tavoy. The Burmese did not yield and King Rama I finally decided to retreat.

Nemyo Kyawdin the governor of Tavoy (personal name Nga Myat Pyu,[8] known as Myinzaingza in Thai sources), who had successfully defended the town from the invading Siamese, wished for himself to be appointed to the governorship of Martaban. However, King Bodawpaya instead made Minhla Sithu[8] as the governor of Martaban that had authorities over Tavoy. The relations between Nemyo Kyawdin and Minhla Sithu were not good and Minhla Sithu reported to King Bodawpaya. King Bodawpaya ordered Nemyo Kyawdin relieved of his governorship and arrested for trials at Amarapura. When the new governor arrived in Tavoy, Nemyo Kyawdin had him killed. King Bodawpaya declared Nemyo Kyawdin a rebel and arrested his father Metkaya Bo. Myinzaingza Nemyo Kyawdin then decided to defect to the Siamese cause against King Bodawpaya.

Lady Chi, a lost niece of King Rama I (she was a daughter of an elder brother of King Rama I), had been captured as captive and deported to Tavoy during the Fall of Ayutthaya. Nemyo Kyawdin found out her existence. Nemyo Kyawdin wrote a letter inscribed on a gold plate to King Rama I to submit to Siam in March 1792. He also had Lady Chi write another letter to the Siamese king.[2] King Rama I, upon seeing the letters of Nemyo Kyawdin and his niece Lady Chi, was determined to take Tavoy.

The Second Division of Nemyo Gonna Kyawthu reached Tavoy first. With 10,000 men, Nemyo Gonna Kyawthu met the Siamese fleet at the mouth of Tavoy River and defeated it. Nemyo Gonna Kyawthu then sailed into Tavoy River and took lead to bring the Burmese fleets to the West bank of Tavoy River, opposite Tavoy. He anchored and disembarked his fleet at Hintha,[8] southwest of Tavoy. The Third and Fourth Divisions under Mingyi Thinkaya and Balayanta Kyawdin, 10,000 men each, followed and landed at Kinmya[8] to the northwest of Tavoy. The Land Forces of 10,000 men under Nemyo Kyawdin Thihathu also marched from Ye and arrived at Tavoy. Nemyo Kyawdin Thihathu took charge as the commander-in-chief.

The Burmese forces took their positions on the West bank of Tavoy River, opposite of the Tavoy town. Nemyo Kyawdin Thihathu sent a force to cross the river to gain a foothold on southeastern side of Tavoy but was opposed by Phraya Kanchanaburi, who was shot in battle. Binnya Sein built an earthen fort to the west of Tavoy and took position. However, Binnya Sein was routed by Burmese musketeers and Manipuri cavalry. The Burmese then thrown a brigde across the river and successfully crossed into Tavoy. The Burmese crossed the bridge and attacked Phraya Siharaj Decho at Sankye-In, who was defeated. The Burmese were able to establish themselves to the north of Tavoy. On the southern side, however, the Burmese were less successful as the Siamese at Kyetsabyin were able to repel Burmese attacks. The stalemate was reached as the Burmese secured western and northern suburbs of Tavoy, while the Siamese retained southern and eastern lands.

The Tavoyans, however, were dissatisfied with Siamese rule.[2][8] In December 1793, seven Tavoyans[8] contacted Nemyo Kyawdin Thihathu the commander to invite the Burmese to cooperatively storm the town. The Tavoyans would raise a flag and ignite a light as signs for the Burmese to attack. That night, however, the flag was raised but the light did not came as Yommaraj Bunnag found out the conspirators and had them executed. The Burmese did not proceed to attack and in the morning found the bodies of conspirators floating along the river. At this point, King Rama I was marching the main royal armies towards Tavoy. The Siamese in Tavoy were in dire conditions as prolonged siege depleted food and human resources. As most Tavoyan men were employed to fight on the city walls, the Siamese then assigned Tavoyan women to transport food supplies from the east.[2] The Tavoyans, however, were convinced that the Siamese was going to abandon the city and forcibly deport the Tavoyan inhabitants back to Siam. They refused to obey Siamese orders. Chao Phraya Mahasena Pli then had Wundauk, the leader of resistance, whipped as punishment.[2]

A Tavoyan named Nga Zeya[8] swam across Tavoy River to visit Nemyo Kyawdin Thihathu. Upon learning of Tavoyan dissatisfactions towards the Siamese, Nemyo Kyawdin Thihathu ordered that all Burmese forces should enter the Tavoy town in that night. In January 1794, the Burmese staged all-out attacks against Tavoy and the Tavoyans opened the gates for the Burmese. The Siamese authorities in Tavoy collapsed and Siamese personnel including Yommaraj Bunnag escaped to the east. After taking Tavoy, Burmese and Tavoyan forces stormed the Siamese regiments at eastern suburbs, all of which were defeated and retreated. The three Siamese generals; Mahasena Pli, Rattanapipit and Yommaraj Bunnag led the Siamese retreat to Hindaad where King Rama I had been staying but was closely followed by Burmese armies.

The Siamese suffered heavy losses. The three Siamese generals reached the camps of Phraya Aphai Ronnarit who was commanding the royal vanguard of King Rama I. The three generals asked Aphai Ronnarit to take refuge in his camps but Aphai Ronnarit refused, saying that his task was to secure the royal frontline and if he failed the royal army would be in danger.[2] The three generals and the rest of retreating Siamese then fought the outnumbering Burmese in front of the camps of Aphai Ronnarit. Yommaraj Bunnag and Rattanapipit managed to escape but Mahasena Pli was killed in battle. His head was taken as trophy by the Burmese.[8] King Rama I, upon learning of Siamese defeat at Tavoy, ordered the general retreat.

The Siamese king and his generals retreated to Khwae Noi River, Kanchanaburi. King Rama I angered that the inappropriate actions of Aphai Ronnarit had caused the death of Chao Phraya Mahasena Pli, who was the Samuha Kalahom or the Prime Minister of Southern Siam. Aphai Ronnarit was executed at Kanchanaburi.

Prince Maha Sura Singhanat supervised the construction of Siamese fleet at Theinkun. After the construction was finished, the prince moved to Kraburi and commanded his generals Phraya Chasaenyakorn Turian and Phraya Kraikosa to lead the Siamese fleet from Tanintharyi out of the Tanintharyi river to join the land forces at Tavoy to invade Burma. Unbeknownst to them, however by that time the Siamese were already defeated at Tavoy. When the news of Siamese defeat at Tavoy had reached Mergui, Setya-u-chi the governor of Mergui decided to defect back to the Burmese side.

When Phraya Chasaenyakorn Turian and Phraya Kraikosa sailed the Siamese fleet along the Tanintharyi River, reaching Mergui at its mouth, they learned that Mergui had defected back to the Burmese. Instead of going on, Chasaenyakorn Turian decided to attack the port city of Mergui. He used the Siamese canons on the ships to bombard Mergui intensely but the city did not fall. Chasaenyakorn Turian intensified the attacks by disemarking at Pahtaw Pahtet, an island immediately in front of the city, to shell the city in closer range. He inflicted the cannonballs on the city of Mergui so intensely that the Burmese defensive forces had to dig holes for shelter.[2] After bombardments, however, the city of Mergui persisted.

Prince Maha Sura Singhanat at Kraburi received the news that the Siamese had been defeated at Tavoy and the king had ordered the general retreat. So, the prince recalled the fleet. Just when Chasaenyakorn Turian was embarking for the retreat, the Burmese forces led by Nemyo Kyawdin Thihathu[8] and the fleet led by Thiri Yaza Damarat arrived at Mergui from Tavoy. The Burmese forces poured onto the retreating Siamese and Chasaenyakorn Turian had to retreat hastily towards Kraburi. The Siamese sailed the fleet back and disembarked at Ranong, where the met the Burmese again. Chasaenyakorn Turian decided to abandon Siamese ships and retreated by land. Despite being closely followed by the Burmese, Chasaenyakorn Turian managed to hold out Burmese attacks and allowed his forces to retreat safely[2] back to Chumphon.