Kedah on my mind: erecting the memory of the 1821 Siamese invasion

• Main Author: Mohd Noor Merican, Ahmad Murad
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Melaka Hari Ini Sdn. Bhd. 2021
• Subjects: B69 History and systems; D History (General); JQ715 Politics and Government in Malaysia
• Online Access: http://irep.iium.edu.my/111456/7/111456_Kedah%20on%20my%20mind.pdf; http://irep.iium.edu.my/111456/; https://www.melakahariini.my/kedah-on-my-mind-erecting-the-memory-of-the-1821-siamese-invasion/

Siamese forces invaded Kedah in 1821 – to be exact on 12 November. That turned out to be the most brutal, bloodiest, protracted war the country has ever seen. It lasted until 1841. That war is the story of Kedah’s resistance to Siamese occupation. It has passed virtually unknown in the annals of the nation’s history. Siam’s aggression and suzerainty over Kedah has been well narrated. But this episode evoked unhappy and angry memories amongst the Kedah natives. It began in 1820. That year, the governor of Nakorn Si’thammarat visited Bangkok on a mission that, apart from the other major issues of the anticipated Burmese invasion, was basically designed to seek King Rama II’s approval for the invasion of Kedah, and the extension of Siamese suzerainty over the other Malays states, especially Perak and Selangor.