Wednesday, June 20, 2007

LAPURAN CAPTAIN BURNEY, 10 FEBRUARI 1820.

Oleh anaianai

Captain Henry Burney telah dilantik menjadi wakil perunding Inggeris dengan negeri Siam yang diperintah oleh thai selepas tahun 1767. Rundingan nya telah dibuat terdahulu dari tarikh 10 Februari 1820. Pada waktu ini Khalifah Sharif Abu Bakar Syah masih bersemayam di Istana Kota Meang Kuang. Ini bermakna kejadian pembunuhan Musuh Bisik tahun 1821 belum lagi berlaku. Kita ikuti petikan lapurannya yang ada kaitan dengan kajian kes,

H. BURNEY Captain, REPORT of the progress of Captain Burney's Negotiations with the Court of Siam, Envoy to the Court of Siam, Bangkok, 10th February 1820.

“Since writing the above I have been privately assured by the Rajah of Ligor, that the Siamese (Thai) Ministers are disposed to accede to all the propositions contained in my Memorial No. 19 excepting that requiring the restoration of the King of Kedah to which they are decidedly opposed, because the offered annual payment of 4,000 Dollars is too insignificant, when compared with the revenue which His Highness now realizes from Kedah and nearly the whole of which is sent up to Bangkok. The interests of the Rajah of Ligor are, of course, too much connected with Kedah for me to place implicit faith in what I hear from him on this subject. But my Memorial it will be seen, does not propose to Siam a clear equivalent for all that the British Government requires from her; and it will rest with my Superiors to determine, whether I shall sacrifice the claims of Kedah, and accept whatever the Siamese Ministers are now described to be willing to grant, or offer to them any other advantage besides an augmentation of the proposed sum of 4000 Dollars, to induce them to concede that point also. I have taken care to avoid holding out any distinct pledge to the Siamese of protection against Ava from the British Government; and I have conceived it my duty to try and secure as much as possible from Siam for the smallest return on our part”.

Burney memaklumkan bahawa menteri-menteri Thai menentang ‘King of Kedah’ atau Maharaja Kedah berkuasa penuh seperti seperti sediakala. Disini jelas mereka mengetahui siapa ‘King of Kedah’ kerana Sipengkhianat bangsa, Paduka Seri Sultan Ahmad Tajuddin Halim Syah (disebut sebagai ‘Raja of Kedah’) telah menghantar anakandanya Tengku Abdullah mengadap Raja Thai dalam tahun 1812. Seterusnya pada nov 1816 dan sept.1818, Kedah pun menyerang Perak bagi pihak Thai dengan dibantu oleh Inggeris.

Lagi pun bayaran tahunan 4 ribu dolar Inggeris kepada Siam tidak setimpal dengan hasil pengeluaran Kedah. Setimpal atau tidak bukan persoalannya kerana Kedah bukan milik Thai, tapi milik Siam Islam. Tindakan Burney dalam tahun-tahun akan datang membuktikan bahawa beliau telah mengorbankan tuntutan Maharaja Kedah keatas negeri Siam yang dijajah Thai.

Raja Ligor telah memaklumkan bahawa menteri-menteri Thai menentang perlantikkan King of Kedah. Raja Ligor sewaktu itu ialah Tengku Long Taha ibni Tengku Long Putera. Maklumat ini tidak dipercayai/yakini oleh Burney kerana hubungan Raja Ligor dengan Kedah. Sewaktu itu Thai masih membenarkan raja-raja Islam memerentah Patani, Satun, Yala termasuk di Ligor kerana ramai rakyat Kedah disitu masih lagi beragama Islam.

Catatan Burney ini sekali gus menyangkal sejarah Thailand yang mengatakan bahawa Boromoraja V Ekatahat mati dibunuh dalam tahun 1767 sewaktu Ayuthia diserang oleh Ayuthia. Kenyataan sejarah karut ini dibuat bagi menutup kekejaman Raja-raja Chakri Sukhothai dahulu. Raja Chakri Rama II Phutthaloetla Naphalai telah memberi arahan kepada tenteranya supaya membunuh Khalifah Sharif Abu Bakar Syah, Maharaja Benua Siam Islam Nagara Kedah di Istana Kota Meang Kuang dalam tahun Musuh Bisik 1821.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Dear anaianai,

Raja of Ligor in Burney paper is referred in Siamese as "Chao Phraya Nakhon [Noy] (1770 - 1839)" (Governor of Nakhon Srithammarat) - the ancestor of the Na Nakorn family.

It seems to me that Chao Phraya Nakhon want much bigger share of Tribute from Kedah (Muang Sai Buri in Siamese language).

The proposed annual payment of 4000 Dollar was about 6666 silver Tical at that day .. quite a large sum of money ... but not enough to pay Siamese court for sure ...