Page 256 - A History of Siam

A HISJORT OF SIAM
240
King Ekat'at never gave a thought to the dangers across
the frontier, nor troubled himself about the continued
successes of the Burmese
usurper.
Many different reasons have been given for the out-
break of war between Burma and Siam in The
1759.
truth to be that no real reason existed
appears except
the ambition of Alaungpaya. The greatest of his
had
predecessors subjugated Siam and the Lao States,
and he resented the existence of independent Kingdoms
on his borders. By 1759 he had induced Nan, Chiengsen,
Payao, and most of the other Lao States to acknowledge
his under Prince
suzerainty. Only Chiengmai (which,
Ong K'am maintained a precarious independence) and
Ayut'ia ignored the very existence of the Burmese
upstart. Chiengmai and Ayut'ia must therefore,
Alaungpaya thought, be made to bend the knee.
Early in 1759 some Peguan rebels, who had made a
raid on Syriam, escaped by a French ship. Bad weather
compelled this vessel to put in at the Siamese port
of Tenasserim. The Burmese demanded the surrender
of the The Siamese and it to
ship. refused, permitted
proceed on its voyage. This was a good enough excuse
for war. A further excuse was afforded by the escape
to Tenasserim of some of the rebel inhabitants of Tavoy,
which was captured by the Burmese in the same year.
Alaungpaya's son, Mangra, and his General, Mingaing
Nohrata, at once invaded Siam. The Burmese monarch
himself followed close behind them with a large army.
Tenasserim was weakly defended and fell at once, and the
Burmese crossed the Peninsula and commenced to
advance northwards.
Nobody in Siam seems to have realised that a serious
invasion was from the south. The Burmese
possible
plan was, in fact, a very rash one, for it involved marching