A seventeenth-century account stated that the inhabitants of Mergui were "Burmese, Siamese, Chinese, Indian, Malay and European".

The Mon rebellions in the eighteenth century toppled[1] the Burmese Toungoo dynasty and established the Restored Hanthawaddy Kingdom.

The Burmese recovered themselves under the Konbaung dynasty who ended[1] the Hanthawaddy Kingdom and realized the importance of keeping Lower Burma and the Tenasserim Coast under control to prevent further Mon rebellions.

The Burmese Konbaung dynasty suppressed[5] the Mon people who, in great number, took refuge on the Tenasserim Coast and in Siam.

After the Burmese defeat in the Nine Armies' War, the power balance on the Tenasserim Coast shifted in favor of the Siamese who went on their offensives.

The Siamese troops crossed the Tenasserim Hills at modern Pilok, Thong Pha Phum District, Kanchanaburi Province.

Nemyo Kyawdin the governor of Tavoy (personal name Nga Myat Pyu,[8] known as Myinzaingza in Thai sources), who had successfully defended the town from the invading Siamese, wished for himself to be appointed to the governorship of Martaban.

Nemyo Kyawdin wrote a letter inscribed on a gold plate to King Rama I to submit to Siam in March 1792.