Maidenhair Spleeenwort – Asplenium trichomanes

Reamea Thipadei III or Ang Eng (Khmer: រាមាធិបតីទី៣), ឬ (Khmer: អង្គអេង) was the Cambodian king ruled from 1779 to 1796. After the official coronation ceremony in Oudong in 2323 BE, 1779 AD, Maha Sakarach 1702, His full name was called "Preah Bath Samdach Preah Reach Angkar Preah Ream Reachea Thipadei" He was the son of King Chey Chestha IV, who fled to the Siam kingdom during the reign of King Outey Reachea III, who staged a military coup to assassinate King Noreay Reachea I in Oudong. Reamea Thipadei Ang Eng, ascended the throne at the age of 25, with the support of General "Chao Fa Mo", of the army officer.^[1]

Siam invaded Cambodia, 1784 AD

• Siamese tricks in forming alliances with Cambodia

In 1784, a new Siamese king, Phra Phuthiyotfa, who assassinated Phya Taksin in 1782 and ascended the throne, sent 60,000 troops invaded Cambodia. The Siamese army was divided into three divisions, with 20,000 divisions led by general Chau Noy attack Oudong city across from Pursat province, second army led by Chakri Tep entering Siem Reap, the 3rd Division, led by Duke Veang Sous, from the Lao border to Kampong Svay (present: Preah Vihear Province). Chao Fa Mo, who served as both viceroy and minister of defense, mobilized his troops and devised a strong strategy to defend the capital of Oudong, and sent King Ang Eng to hide in Phnom Penh fortress. War broke out for 10 days, The Siamese side stopped fighting and withdrew the three divisions and sent its envoys to negotiate peace with Cambodia, promising to send Ang Eng's son back to Cambodia. Unaware of the bloodshed, Chao Fa Mo agreed to the Siamese king's request to form an alliance. The reason for the Siamese withdrawal from Cambodia was because Burma had raised troops to conquer the northern provinces of Siam, and Burma was preparing a large army to invade the Siam kingdom.^[2]

Events of the Burma-Siam War 1785-1786

In 1785, Burma raised 200,000 troops to invade the Siam kingdom. The Siamese king Yotfa, nicknamed "Rama I", sent Chao Fa Bien, an army officer, to bring Ang Eng's son of Ang Chan back to Cambodia and to ask Cambodia to help fight the Siamese army threatened by the Burmese army. Pursuant to the Treaty of the Siam-Cambodia Alliance, Chao Fa Mo ordered the mobilization of tens of thousands of Cambodians to join the Siamese army to help fight the Burmese army. Mobilized many women in various provinces to thresh rice and continue to provide food to the Siamese army, With the support of the Cambodia side, the Siam side finally won the war of aggression against Burma in 1786 AD.^[3]

Annam return two provinces back to Cambodia 1791 AD

In 1789 Annamese king Nguyen Ánh request to Cambodia for the help defeat the Tay Son movement at Saigon city, agreeing to cut back the islands and two provinces to return to Cambodia if Annam gets it Success. At that time, Chao Fa Mo agreed to send his younger brother, Duke Techo Ten, to lead 10,000 Khmer troops to fight to defeat the Tay Son movement, with the Khmer army to help fight the Annamites and defeat the Tay Son. King Annam also agreed to return two provinces to Cambodia were Kien Giang, Ca Mau, and two other islands, Koh Tralach (Côn Đảo) and Koh Tral (Phú Quốc) in 1791 AD.^[4]

• Koh Tral or Phú Quốc island of Cambodia lost to Vietnam 1979.

Assassination of the Minister of Defense

Chao Fa Mo holds the rank of viceroy and also serves as Minister of Defense, overseeing the affairs of the kingdom and assisting King Ang Eng. The Siamese king, seeing that Chao Fa Mo was the backbone, prevented Siam from interfering in the affairs of the Cambodia kingdom, so the Siamese king sent two officials, Duke Vang Sous and Chao Fa Bien, to find a tactic to defeat Chao Fa Mo. Duke Vang Sous and Chao Fa Bien organized a party near the Oudong Palace, inviting Chao Fa Mo to join him. During drinking in partying, Chao Fa Bien sent his secret forces to assassinate Chao Fa Mo in 1792 AD. After Chao Fa Bien, a Siamese spy officer, assassinated Chao Fa Mo, the Minister of National Defense of Cambodia, they deployed fraudulent forces as guards at the Royal Palace. At that time, Duke Kralahom Aok, the Minister of Interior, sent a spy team to find out that Chao Fa Bien was plotting to take over Cambodia's internal affairs. He sent a message to Techo Ten, the younger brother of Chao Fa Mo, urgently sending troops from Kampong Svay District (now: Kampong Thom Province) to fight defeated Chao Fa Bien in Oudong city. Chao Fa Bien, realizing that he had lost the battle, and capture Ang Eng fled to Thon Buri (Bangkok) in 1792 AD.^[5]

Cambodian-Siamese War 1794

• Siam illegally occupies Battambang, Siem Reap

After general Siam Chao Fa Bien assassinated Chao Fa Mo and captured Ang Eng taken to Thon Buri, In 1794, the Siamese king sent troops to invade Cambodia again. Siam raised 14,000 troops. Invaded Cambodia in Battambang province, At that time, Techo Ten of Cambodia general led 17,000 troops into battle with the Siamese army and was victorious. The Siamese king, knowing that even though Cambodia had no king and the Cambodian king had become hostage, the Cambodian officials were still fighting to defend the territory. The Siamese king held a coronation ceremony for Ang Eng in Thon Buri (now: Bangkok) and ordered Chakri Ben to raise 70,000 troops to invade Cambodia again. Siam accusing Techo Ten of betraying the throne from King Ang Eng, the Siamese recognized only King Ang Eng as the legitimate King of Cambodia as the King in exile. Techo Ten, with only 40,000 troops, fought with the Siamese army for three months, he lost to Chakri Ben and lost his life in the war. The Siamese army illegally occupied Battambang and Siem Reap provinces because the Siamese had already signed a treaty of alliance with Cambodia to demarcate the border with Chao Fa Mo, the Cambodian Minister of Defense in 1784 AD.^[6]

Death of Reamea Thipadei III

Chakri Ben, who led the Siamese army to defeat Techo Ten in Battambang province, was appointed by the Siamese king as the governor of the whole Battambang province, in 1795 AD, And general Krala Hom Pok was placed to rule Siem Reap province. Reamea Thipadei Ang Eng was taken to Thonburi by Siamese officials in 1792, and had a daughter, Ang Phim, in 1793, and had two other sons, Ang Em 1794 and Ang Duong in 1796. Although Siam occupied Cambodia's Battambang and Siem Reap provinces, it did not mean that the whole of Cambodia was under Siamese influence, Because the Siamese did not control the capital of Oudong, the central administrative region of Cambodia, the capital of Oudong was overseen by Krala Hom Aok, the Minister of Interior, and had Ang Chan II, the eldest son of Eng Eng. Fleeing during the time of Chao Fa Bien capturing Ang Eng taking him to Thonburi. Ang Eng, who was imprisoned in the Siamese kingdom, was forced by King Siam, Rama I to demand that he officially sign the Battambang and Siem Reap provinces give to Siam. Ang Eng Rejected with the Siamese king many times, he fasted until he fell seriously ill depression and died in 1796 AD. Thus, the whole Kingdom of Cambodia did not have a king until King Ang Chan II was crowned King of Cambodia in 1802 AD.^[7]

Notes

• The record describing Ang Eng at the age of six is based on Ronald Bishop Smith, He researched the history of Thailand and Cambodia and published in a book title: Siam; Or, The History of the Thais: From 1569 A.D. to 1824 A.D., published in 1966, published by the Decatur Press, so that historians from all over the world copied it, creating a misunderstanding and in stark contrast to the Journal of Asiatique (1872) by the French historian.
• According to the French historian Journal asiatique (1872), Ang Chan II was born in 1778 and ascended the throne in 1802. Therefore, the ancients believed that the history of Preah Ang Eng was falsified by the Siamese side for the history of Cambodia for political gain.

References