Page 152 - A History of Siam

^ HISTORT OF SUM
144
the Burmese invaded Siam. The caused a
again King
pagoda to be erected on the spot where he overcame the
Prince of Burma. This pagoda may be seen there to
the present day.
The King, on returning to Ayut'ia, held an enquiry
into the conduct of some of his Generals, whom he
accused of gross negligence and dilatoriness, in that they
had not followed him through the Burmese ranks. He
proposed to punish the principal offenders by death.
A deputation of the clergy pleaded for their pardon,
which the King granted on one condition, namely that
must and Tenasserim from the
they capture Tavoy
Burmese.
Tenasserim and Tavoy had formed a part of the
Siamese dominions from the days of King Ramk'amheng
of Suk'ot'ai till they were taken by the Burmese in 1568,
at the time of the fall of which con-
Ayut'ia. Tavoy,
tained a population for the most part of non-Tai race,
had been treated by the Siamese as a dependency or
vassal State, under a native Prince. Tenasserim, with
its port, Mergui, had always been an integral part of
the Siamese dominions.
Early in 1593 two Siamese armies, each numbering
50,000 men, commanded by two of the erring Generals,
Chao P'ya Chakri and P'ya P'rak'lang, left Ayut'ia for
the south. Chao Chakri advanced to
P'ya Tenasserim,
which fell after a of fifteen
siege only days. P'ya
met with rather more but after
P'rak'lang opposition,
one encounter with the Burmese and a of
sharp siege
he found himself master of
twenty days, Tavoy.
Chao P'ya Chakri, not knowing that Tavoy had fallen,
commandeered all the at
ships Tenasserim, numbering
about a hundred and and fitted them out
fifty, hastily
as a fleet to assist the of At the
army P'ya P'rak'lang.