Po Phaok The

The golden crown of Po Klong M'hnai, crafted in the XVII-XVIII centuries, is currently on display at the Vietnam History Museum in Ho Chi Minh City. Po Phaok The (?–1835), also known as Po Phaok

During his reign, Champa did not have a direct relationship with Huế court as was the case under his predecessor; they only sent tribute to Lê Văn Duyệt in Lower Cochinchina. These years nevertheless saw a concerted effort of Vietnamization of the Cham population. The old accord made between the Champa ruler and the Nguyễn lord in 1712 was abrogated, meaning that the Vietnamese legal system was enforced in a region where Vietnamese was not widely spoken. The social relations between Chams and Vietnamese deteriorated considerably. To this contributed the harsh cultural policy. The inhabitants were ordered to dress in Vietnamese rather than Cham style, to celebrate Vietnamese ceremonies, and abandon various customs.

Dismantling of the Champa principality

Lê Văn Duyệt fell seriously ill in the early 1830s, which gave Minh Mang an opportunity to strengthen his position in the south. At the same time, a group of Cham dignitaries sent a secret missive to the Emperor where they complained about Po Phaok The, officially since he had not sent revenue to the court in Huế. In fact, the dignitaries realized that Lê Văn Duyệt would not live much longer and wished to save their own skins when Minh Mang struck back. For Minh Mang, this showed that there was no cohesion among the Cham elite, and that the Viceroy's grip on Champa was slipping. He profited from the situation by capturing Po Phaok The and Po Dhar Kaok and transfer them to Huế.

Execution

During the king's absence, two major rebellions broke out in the Panduranga area: the Katip Sumat uprising (1832-1834) and the Ja Thak Wa uprising (1834-1835). However, both were put down by the Vietnamese and followed by severe repression.

In the wake of the rebellions, Minh Mang accused Po Paok The of colluding with Lê Văn Khôi, the adopted son of Lê Văn Duyệt who had rebelled in the south. It is unclear if there was any substance in the charges, though he is known to have stayed in Bình Thuận province in the old Cham land in 1833-1834. At any rate the ex-ruler was searched for and arrested. Po Phaok The was sentenced to the "slow death" (lang tri) and the sentence was carried out on the sixth month of the Year of the Sheep. The ex-deputy Po Dhar Kaok was likewise executed.

There is a historical record about him: Ariya Po Phaok. The record was written in Cham script. It is kept in Société Asiatique de Paris.