Chaophraya Aphaiphubet (Baen) (, , ?–November 1809), also known as Chauvea Tolaha Ben () or Chaofa Talaha (Baen) () or Chau Hua Pen (), was the Regent of Cambodia during the minority of the Cambodian king Ang Eng under Siam's influences and eventually became the first of the line of Siam-appointed governors of Battambang or Phra Tabong. He was known in Vietnamese texts as Chiêu Thùy Biện (昭錘卞). He is officially regarded as the founder of House of Abhaiwongse.
Serving King Ang Non Baen was a Cambodian noble with the title Oknya Yomreach (, Thai counterpart of this title was Phraya Yommarat ). Oknya Yomreach Pen or Baen was the Cambodian Minister of Justice in the reign of the pro-Siamese Cambodian king Ang Non. According to Battambang Samay Lok Mchas or "Battambang during the time of Lord Governor" by Tauch Chhoung, published in 1974, Baen originated from Treang in modern Takeo Province. Baen served Prince Ang Non. He probably accompanied Ang Non during political flight from Cambodia to Ayutthaya in 1758 and followed King Ang Non, who, in turn, followed Phraya Tak the Chinese–Siamese mandarin, breaking through the Burmese siege out of Ayutthaya in 1767. Phraya Tak later became King Taksin of the Siamese Thonburi kingdom.
Siamese Invasion of Cambodia: 1771–1773
King Taksin sent Siamese forces under Phraya Yommarat Thongduang (Rama I) to invade Cambodia in 1771 to bring Ang Non, the pro-Siamese contender, to the Cambodian throne. The incumbent pro-Vietnamese Cambodian king Ang Ton fled to Saigon, requesting aid from the Nguyen Lord of Cochinchina Nguyễn Phúc Thuần, who sent Vietnamese forces to repel the Siamese and restore Ang Ton in 1772. When the Siamese retreated from Cambodia in 1773, Ang Non and presumably Baen took position at Kampot in Southwestern Cambodia in resistance against Ang Ton.
In 1771, the three Tây Sơn brothers arose against the Nguyen Lord regime, killing the Nguyen Lord Nguyễn Phúc Thuần in 1777. With the Nguyen support dwindling, the pro-Nguyen Cambodian king Ang Ton decided to abdicate in favor of his rival Ang Non in 1774. Baen, a follower of Ang Non, thus became Oknha Yomreach the Cambodian Minister of Justice under King Ang Non. The former king Ang Ton demoted himself to Uprayorach or Second King in 1774 to give way for Ang Non to take the throne. Ang Ton died from illness in 1777.
Cambodian dynastic conflict of 1779 In 1779, Chauvea Tolaha Mou the Chief Minister of Cambodia and Oknha Decho Ten the governor of Kampong Svay, the two brothers, rebelled against the Siam-aligned King Ang Non. When King Ang Non was marching out to fight the rebel brothers, another Cambodian official Oknha Vibolreach Sous made his own bid for power by bringing in Vietnamese armies under Đỗ Thanh Nhơn to seize power in Oudong the Cambodian royal capital, murdering all four sons of Ang Non and placing the seven-year-old king Ang Eng as King of Cambodia. Tolaha Mou and Decho Ten captured King Ang Non in battle and had Ang Non drowned to death in Boeng Khayong Pond in September 1779.
Even though the separate insurrections of Tolaha Mou and Vibolreach Sous were unrelated, they achieved the common goal of overthrowing King Ang Non and they formed an uneasy alliance under the reign of the new young king Ang Eng. Oknha Yomreach Pen or Baen, even though in the pro-Siamese camp of King Ang Non, was spared from death due to Baen being a 'sworn friend' of Vibolreach Sous, who was elevated to the position of Kralahom or Minister of Navy, becoming Oknha Kralahom Sous (). Chauvea Tolaha Mou spared Yomreach Baen but also putting Baen under political house arrest at Kampong Svay, where his brother Oknha Decho Ten was the governor.
Political exile in Siam
Imprisonment in Thonburi King Taksin of Thonburi, the King of Siam, was very upset at the murder of King Ang Non at the hands of Tolaha Mou because King Ang Non, formerly Prince Ang Non, was a close companion of Taksin from the time before their ascensions to Cambodian and Siamese thrones. Taksin blamed Oknha Yomreach Baen or his inaction as Baen had not done enough to protect Ang Non. By that time, there was another Cambodian official Preah Angkev Duong in hostage in Thonburi, the Siamese royal capital. Taksin sent Preah Angkev Duong to Kampong Svay, demanding for Oknha Yomreach Baen to go to Thonburi to face punishments from Taksin. Tolaha Mou and Decho Ten, who had no ties with Yomreach Baen whatsoever, delivered Yomreach Baen to Thonburi. At Thonburi, Baen was reportedly canned with wooden strokes, his ear pinnae partially cut off, imprisoned but Chaophraya Chakri Thongduang, the Chief Minister of Thonburi, intervened to have Baen pardoned and released. Baen then became a loyal subordinate of Chakri.
Siamese Invasion of Cambodia: 1781–1782 Seeking vengeance for murder of King Ang Non at the hands of Tolaha Mou and the Vietnamese, King Taksin sent out Siamese armies of 20,000 men to invade Cambodia in three directions into Siemreap, Battambang and Kampong Svay in December 1781, intending to punish Tolaha Mou and to install his own son Prince Inthraphithak as the King of Cambodia. Chaophraya Chakri Thongduang and Chaophraya Surasi led Siamese armies to invade Cambodia, taking commanding position at Siemreap. Baen was assigned to lead a Cambodian regiment under Siam to support Prince Inthraphithak as vanguard to attack Oudong, the Cambodian royal capital.
Chauvea Tolaha Mou took defensive position at Kampong Luong just north of Oudong, while Oknha Kralahom Sous led Cambodian riparian fleet into Tonle Sap to defend against the invading Siamese. Nguyễn Phúc Ánh the Nguyen Lord of Cochinchina to send Vietnamese armies under the Nguyễn Hữu Thụy to counter this Siamese invasion of Cambodia. Yomreach Baen, serving under Siam, led the army of Prince Inthraphithak, son of King Taksin, marching from Siemreap all the way through Battambang and Baribour, approaching Oudong. Nguyễn Hữu Thụy the Vietnamese commander took position at Chroy Changvar, commanding Oknha Yomreach Peang to defend against the Siamese at Kaoh Chen, opposite of Longvek on Tonle Sap River. Yomreach Baen's Cambodian–Siamese forces engaged with Cambodian–Vietnamese forces of Yomreach Peang at Peam Chumnik in Longvek.
While Chaophraya Chakri was supervising Siamese military campaign in Cambodia from Siemreap, Phraya San seized power in Thonburi in March 1782, forcing King Taksin to abdicate. Political disruption at Thonburi compelled Chakri to halt his Cambodian campaign, reaching a truce with the Vietnamese and returned to Thonburi. This Siamese invasion of Cambodia was thus cut short by instability at home. When Chaophraya Chakri had taken control of Thonburi, in April 1782, Chaophraya Surasi commanded Baen to surround Prince Inthraphithak with his own Cambodian forces to keep Inthraphithak uninformed about events in Thonburi. Inthraphithak, unaware that his father King Taksin had been executed and the regime had changed, sent a complaint to Thonburi, saying that Baen had turned rebellious and his Cambodian men were surrounding him. Inthraphithak broke free from Baen's encirclement and realized the situation. Inthraphithak was eventually captured and executed at Thonburi.
Struggle in Cambodia
First attempt to seize power in Cambodia Chaophraya Chakri ascended as King Rama I in 1782, founding the Chakri dynasty. Baen had instrumental role in the ascension of the king. Formerly a Cambodian minister, Baen then became a loyal aide of the Siamese king. Meanwhile, in Cambodia, Oknha Kralahom Sous had declared himself Samdech Chauponhea or Second Chief Minister, second only to the Chauvea Tolaha himself. Uneasy pact between Chauvea Tolaha Mou and Samdech Chauponhea Sous began to crumble. Sous decided to get rid of Tolaha Mou altogether. Sous sent a secret letter to his 'sworn friend' Yomreach Baen at Bangkok, asking Baen to join him in Cambodia to overthrow the rule of Tolaha Mou.
Yomreach Baen told King Rama I of Siam about this secret letter from his friend in Cambodia. The Siamese king saw this as an opportunity to expand Siamese influence into Cambodia. King Rama allowed Baen to bring forces into Cambodia to seize power. Samdech Chauponhea Sous personally waited for Baen at Battambang as escorted Baen to Oudong, where they conspired to overthrow Tolaha Mou the Cambodian Prime Minister. Sous and Baen led forces to capture Tolaha Mou, who fled to Bassac (Ba Thắc, in modern Sóc Trăng province at the mouth Bassac River) but the Cambodian governor of Bassac arrested Tolaha Mou and sent him back to Oudong, where Tolaha Mou was executed in October 1782. Pact of these 'sworn friends' Sous and Baen in Cambodia lasted only for two months until Baen eventually murdered Sous in December 1782, taking all power to himself. Baen declared himself Chauvea Tolaha or Prime Minister of Cambodia, also allying with Oknha Kralahom Pok the caretaker of young king Ang Eng. The ten-year-old king Ang Eng had been a powerless puppet king since his ascension in 1779 while his powerful ministers vied for power in Cambodia.
Oknha Decho Ten, governor of Kampong Svay and brother of Tolaha Mou, was still standing against Baen at Kampong Svay. When Yomreach Baen sent his forces under Oknha Chakrey Kep to attack Kampong Svay, the Chams of Tbong Khmum, under leadership of a Cham official Tuan Set or Tuan Syed Abdul Romduol, sailed their riparian fleet to attack Oudong. Facing Cham attack, Yomreach Baen fell back. Panicked, Oknha Kralahom Pok, fearing danger for the young king Ang Eng, decided to take Ang Eng, along with his sisters Princesses Ang E and Ang Pen, to take refuge in Bangkok. First attempt of Baen to seize power in Cambodia was jeopardized by the sudden unexpected attack of the Chams from Tbong Khmum. Baen, along with Kralahom Pok and Ang Eng, had to retreat from Cambodia, seeking refuge in Siam in Bangkok, the new royal capital of Siam, as the Chams under Tuan Syed seized Oudongศานติ ภักดีคำ. เขมรรบไทย. กทม. มติชน. 2554. หน้า 272 the Cambodian royal capital.
In Bangkok, King Rama I assigned a residence for the Cambodian king Ang Eng at Sanam Kraboe or Buffalo Meadows just off the northern city wall of Bangkok in modern Banglamphu, Chana Songkhram subdistrict, Phra Nakhon district of Bangkok to host King Ang Eng as political refugee and prisoner along with his followers including Baen and Kralahom Pok. King Rama I reportedly 'adopted' the young Cambodian king Ang Eng as his adopted son.
Occupation of Western Cambodia In 1783, Nguyễn Phúc Ánh the Nguyen Lord of Cochinchina, defeated by the Tây Sơn, ended up taking refuge in Bangkok. In the same year, in 1783, King Rama I appointed Baen with a Siamese title Chaophraya Aphaiphubet (Chauponhea Apheythibes in Cambodian chronicles) as the Regent of Cambodia in efforts to bring forward Siamese influence into Cambodia. Chaophraya Aphaiphubet Baen, who was also claiming the position of Chauvea Tolaha, occupied western half of Cambodia in 1783, sending his subordinates Oknha Chakrey Kep to station at Pursat and Oknha Yomreach Kan at Siemreap, while Baen himself took position at Battambang in Northwestern Cambodia. After expelling Baen from Oudong, Tuan Syed led the Chams to station at Lvea Aem. Oknha Decho Ten, governor of Kampong Svay and brother of the deceased Tolaha Mou, declared himself Chauvea Tolaha or Prime Minister or Regent of Cambodia. Chauvea Tohala Ten marched from Kampong Svay to attack Lvea Aem in March 1784, killing Tuan Syed the Cham leader and expelling the Chams from the area. Tolaha Ten also received support from Trương Văn Đa the Tây Sơn commander at Saigon, who brought in Vietnamese forces to subdue the Chams. Tolaha then seized power in Cambodia with support from the Tây Sơn.