Abhayavongsa ( th, อภัยวงศ์; ) is a
Thai
Thai or THAI may refer to:
* Of or from Thailand, a country in Southeast Asia
** Thai people, the dominant ethnic group of Thailand
** Thai language, a Tai-Kadai language spoken mainly in and around Thailand
*** Thai script
*** Thai (Unicode block ...
noble surname used by a Thai family
that formerly governed parts of Cambodia which was then ruled by Siam.
The Abhayavongsa family governed
Phra Tabong Province
Phra Tabong Province ( th, พระตะบอง) was a province of Thailand, from the late-18th century until it was ceded to French Indochina in 1907, and again between 1941-1946 after Thailand recaptured it during the Japanese occupation of ...
,
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
(modern
Battambang Province, Cambodia) for six generations from the late 18th century, when Siam annexed the Khmer territories, until 1907, when the area was ceded to
French Indochina
French Indochina (previously spelled as French Indo-China),; vi, Đông Dương thuộc Pháp, , lit. 'East Ocean under French Control; km, ឥណ្ឌូចិនបារាំង, ; th, อินโดจีนฝรั่งเศส, ...
effectively reuniting it with Cambodia. The title bestowed by the Thai King to the governor of Phra Tabong which was used by each successive governor was
Chao Phraya
The Chao Phraya ( or ; th, แม่น้ำเจ้าพระยา, , or ) is the major river in Thailand, with its low alluvial plain forming the centre of the country. It flows through Bangkok and then into the Gulf of Thailand.
E ...
Abhaibhubejr ( th, เจ้าพระยาอภัยภูเบศร์).
In later years, the Abhayavongsa family played important roles in the anti-French struggle for Cambodian independence and one descendant became Prime Minister of Thailand. During World War II, Thailand regained control of the western Khmer provinces through Japanese mediation. Khuang Abhayavongsa was elected Prime Minister of Thailand, an office which he held three separate times between August 1944 and April 1948. Through family business ties, Khuang maintained close ties with the western Cambodian provinces during his time in office and fought, to no avail, to keep them under Thai rule in the wake of the Japanese loss and resurgence of the French in Indochina. His brother Chaowalit Aphaiwong worked until 1946 in a "Special Commission" in Battambang and was considered the "Nominal Head of the
Khmer Issarak
The Khmer Issarak ( km, ខ្មែរឥស្សរៈ, or 'Independent Khmer') was a "loosely structured" anti- French and anti-colonial independence movement. The movement has been labelled as “amorphous”. The Issarak was ...
movement" fighting French rule of Cambodia. The official head of the Khmer Issarak movement was
Phiset Phanit (Pokhun), Khuang's brother-in-law. A French report of the era went so far as to claim "
e Khmer Issarak movement is both a political and commercial affair of the Aphaiwong family". Thus, in the late 1940's, the Khmer nationalist
Bun Chanmol married a princess of the House of Abhaiwongse.
Family members
Members of the Abhayavongsa family include:
*
Chaophraya Aphaiphubet (Baen)
Chaophraya Aphaiphubet (Baen) ( th, เจ้าพระยาอภัยภูเบศร (แบน), km, ចៅពញាអភ័យធីបែស បែន, ?–1811), also known as Chaofa Talaha (Baen) ( km, ចៅហ្វាទឡ ...
: first governor of Phra Tabong (r.1794-1810)
and originator of the family surname.
*
Phraya Aphaiphubet (Baen): second governor of Phra Tabong (r.1810-1814)
* : third governor of Phra Tabong (r.1814-1827)
*
Phraya Aphaiphubet (Ched): fourth governor of Phra Tabong (r.1827-1835)
*
Phraya Aphaiphubet (Som): sixth governor of Phra Tabong (r.1839-1840 or 1848?)
*
Phraya Aphaiphubet (Nong): seventh governor of Phra Tabong (r.1848-1860)
* : eighth governor of Phra Tabong (r.1860-1892)
* : ninth governor of Phra Tabong (r.1892-1907)
*
*
Princess Suvadhana, princess consort of
King Vajiravudh
Vajiravudh ( th, วชิราวุธ, , 1 January 188126 November 1925) was the sixth monarch of Siam under the Chakri dynasty as Rama VI. He ruled from 23 October 1910 until his death in 1925. King Vajiravudh is best known for his effort ...
(Rama VI) of Siam. She was a cousin of
King Norodom Sihanouk
Norodom Sihanouk (; km, នរោត្តម សីហនុ, ; 31 October 192215 October 2012) was a Cambodian statesman, Sangkum and FUNCINPEC politician, film director, and composer who led Cambodia in various capacities throughout his ...
of Cambodia.
Princess Bejaratana
/ref>
* Khuang Abhayavongsa, three-time prime minister of Thailand in the 1940s. Born in Phra Tabong, his father was the last of the Siamese governors of Phra Tabong.
References
{{reflist
Thai people of Khmer descent