Briton & Thai Mother Reunited After 54 Year Separation

By Khaosod Eng.

PHUKET - A Thai-born Briton is finally reunited with her mother after 54 years of separation in Phuket province today.

Kimberley, 54, and her mother, Yokluen Chankaew, 79, hugged each other upon their meeting this afternoon, which was arranged by local administrators.

According to Kimberley, she was born in Ta Kua Pa district of Phang Nga district in 1960 to Yokluen and an Australian manager of a mine in the province. Birth certificate provided by Kimberley identified her as Tukta Chankaew, the Thai name given to her at the time of birth by her parents.

Yokluen said a British engineer who worked for the mine and his wife later asked to adopt her from her parents when she was four years old. Yokluen told reporters she decided to give up Kimberley, then known as Tukta, to the engineer because she was in poverty.

"I thought I could not raise her up into a comfortable life," Yokluen said, adding that the British engineer and his wife, who were childless, soon left the country for the United Kingdom, and she never heard from them again.

Yokluen said she was surprised to be told by a local official that she was going to meet Kimberley again after over 50 years of silence. "I didn't expect at all that I would see my daughter again," she said emotionally.

Read More: http://www.khaosodenglish.com/detail.php?newsid=1416578844

-- Khaosod English 2014-11-21

Nice story!

Nice now, but what a sad 54 years. No contact at all? I'll just leave it there.

Ahhhh, how sweet

Wait...Im kind of slow but....

That chick don't look Thai.

More like an average English gal.

I mean, even for a hlf-Thai/farang, I can't see a trace of Asian in her.

What's up with that?

Maybe weird to say...but why didn't Kimberley do something earlier. She is 54. Would of thought she could of winged it to los long ago for a catch up

Who doesn't love a happy ending! Nice story.

Wait...Im kind of slow but....

That chick don't look Thai.

More like an average English gal.

I mean, even for a hlf-Thai/farang, I can't see a trace of Asian in her.

What's up with that?

It's all down the the power of genes. I have a daughter half Thai and quarter German/English and she doesn't look Thai in any way shape or form. Nothing wrong with that whatsoever.

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Wait...Im kind of slow but....

That chick don't look Thai.

More like an average English gal.

I mean, even for a hlf-Thai/farang, I can't see a trace of Asian in her.

What's up with that?

What's up - your mind working overtime.

My 28yo son is half Thai/Australian, he has never looked anything like his Mum, except maybe he gets a hell of a suntan. In Oz people don't believe him when he points his Mum out. A few years ago at a local Thai Wat in Sydney I saw a Thai/farung boy who was pure blonde. I could not believe it. Just the way the genes tumble I guess.

My 28yo son is half Thai/Australian, he has never looked anything like his Mum, except maybe he gets a hell of a suntan. In Oz people don't believe him when he points his Mum out. A few years ago at a local Thai Wat in Sydney I saw a Thai/farung boy who was pure blonde. I could not believe it. Just the way the genes tumble I guess.

First farange Thai cross can be only black haired. To be blonde Thai parent must have farange genes.

Why is Thai mum holding a water bill (joking),

As an adopted person myself I am aware of the law and of 'common practice' as it relates to situations of this sort in the UK. Back in the 60's adoption was 'closed'; these days contact with the natural parent is seen as a good thing but back then it was not the norm. I imagine there must have been some formality to this arrangement because it would not have been easy / possible to hop off the boat in the UK with a Thai 4 year old. I tracked down my own mother when I was 46. Luckily my adoptive parents had kept a file so that I had plenty of information to go on. Like most adopted children I had a wonderful upbringing with a mum and a dad, and thus no need to seek out birth parents I never new / remembered. The why's and wherefore's of why I decided to track mine down a few years ago is a long story....

Reading the full article about this reunion, against a background of considerable bashing of Thai authorities on this forum, I am heartened by the efforts of the Thai authorities in this instance to assist this woman with the challenging task of finding her mum. It's nice to read some positive news of a happy ending and thank goodness her mum was still alive.

Wait...Im kind of slow but....

That chick don't look Thai.

More like an average English gal.

I mean, even for a hlf-Thai/farang, I can't see a trace of Asian in her.

What's up with that?

Her cheeks and face looks awfully like her mom on the right hand side. From the picture, I almost thought the mom didn't look like Thai at first glance!

Wait...Im kind of slow but....

That chick don't look Thai.

More like an average English gal.

I mean, even for a hlf-Thai/farang, I can't see a trace of Asian in her.

What's up with that?

hahahahaha, I agree. But there is explanation.

Thais are not really typical ( stereotypical) looking Asians. If they are not exposed to sun and equatorial climate..they cannot gain Chinese eyes characteristic.

Most thais dont need esthetic surgical operation to look like Western people

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Wait...Im kind of slow but....

That chick don't look Thai.

More like an average English gal.

I mean, even for a hlf-Thai/farang, I can't see a trace of Asian in her.

What's up with that?

It's all down the the power of genes. I have a daughter half Thai and quarter German/English and she doesn't look Thai in any way shape or form. Nothing wrong with that whatsoever.

Genetics. My daughter is what Thais call "lekrung" but she looks nothing like a Thai child. It's only when she opens her mouth and starts speaking Thai or Issan that gives her away.

Looking at the picture before reading, I thought that she did look a bit Asian. I know a man who is half Vietnamese, has lived all his life in Europe and except for colouring, he doesn't look Asian. On the other hand, I once knew a man who had spent much of his life in Vietnam. He was the head of one of the leading banks and didn't have a bit of Asian blood and yet he looked Vietnamese.

lovely History

Wait...Im kind of slow but....

That chick don't look Thai.

More like an average English gal.

I mean, even for a hlf-Thai/farang, I can't see a trace of Asian in her.

What's up with that?

hahahahaha, I agree. But there is explanation.

Thais are not really typical ( stereotypical) looking Asians. If they are not exposed to sun and equatorial climate..they cannot gain Chinese eyes characteristic.

Most thais dont need esthetic surgical operation to look like Western people

Um...I don't think exposure to the sun creates "Chinese eyes characteristic" - it is genetic and has nothing whatsoever to do with exposure to the sun - if it did, then many Chinese who live in the north would look western, as they would not have sufficient exposure to the sun either...

Although I admit that I have been in the country so long now that many Thai people (including my kids who are half Thai), don't seem Asian to me, I am assured that Thais really do look Asian to most westerners.

Is this another TAT marketing campaign?

Nice story , tear in my eyes , guess i am getting old

My 28yo son is half Thai/Australian, he has never looked anything like his Mum, except maybe he gets a hell of a suntan. In Oz people don't believe him when he points his Mum out. A few years ago at a local Thai Wat in Sydney I saw a Thai/farung boy who was pure blonde. I could not believe it. Just the way the genes tumble I guess.

First farange Thai cross can be only black haired. To be blonde Thai parent must have farange genes.

Interesting. Thanks for that. Don't what to go off topic but that would mean blonde hair is a recessive gene. Right ? Thinking back to GEN001 ..... that is getting the ol' grey matter working.

Your grey matter is still working ok.

I guess the Australian mine manager wasn't gonna support his kid if the mother lived in poverty and didn't think she could raise her well.

Touched my heart ... Nice story .

Wait...Im kind of slow but....

That chick don't look Thai.

More like an average English gal.

I mean, even for a hlf-Thai/farang, I can't see a trace of Asian in her.

What's up with that?

I can...it's clearly mother and daughter!

Sounds more like a theme for Cilla rather than TVF regardless a nice story but you would have thought a Christmas card and a birthday card would have been appropriate sometime in the intervening 54 years

I would suspect the mine manager is maybe the real blood father but either way, lovely ending to this story.....

Very humbled story.

Wait...Im kind of slow but....

That chick don't look Thai.

More like an average English gal.

I mean, even for a hlf-Thai/farang, I can't see a trace of Asian in her.

What's up with that?

It's all down the the power of genes. I have a daughter half Thai and quarter German/English and she doesn't look Thai in any way shape or form. Nothing wrong with that whatsoever.

She's gone grey. If she had thick straight brown/black hairnshe would look a littl luuk kreung.

My kids don't look particularly Asian but for hair colour and density of hair.