BURIRAM — A 72-year-old American flew across the country to Buriram, Thailand, to look for his daughter, from whom he had been separated for 48 years. With the help of a friend who has a Thai wife, father and daughter finally met and both cried and hugged each other with joy.
The moment Mr. Terry Raymond, a 72-year-old American, and Ms. Kanjana Milkevitch, a 49-year-old woman, embraced in Buriram after 48 years of separation was captured in a video clip shared on social media on August 6. The heartwarming scene was showered with congratulatory messages from internet users.
Ms. Kanjana said that her American father was a former GI who had gone to the Vietnam War 50 years ago and lived in Nakhon Phanom. There he happened to meet her mother, Mrs. Supaporn, who is now 73 years old.
At the time, her mother was pregnant by another American man who refused to take on the responsibility. Mr. Terry stepped in and took care of her mother during her pregnancy and after Ms. Kanjana’s birth.
Mr. Terry cared for Ms. Kanjana until she was about a year old, when he returned to the United States. After that, she and her mother never saw him again. Ms. Kanjana said she kept looking for Mr. Terry, even though he was not her biological father, because he had cared for her since she was born and had created a bond like that of a real father and daughter. She later found out that he had also tried to find her and her mother.
In 2019, she contacted Mr. Terry via social media, much to her delight, and they had been conversing on Facebook ever since. Mr. Terry promised to come to Thailand to see her and her mother, but the COVID-19 pandemic in that year prevented international travel. However, he assured her that he would visit once the situation improved, and she provided him with her address.
On 31 July 2024, Mr. Terry finally traveled to Thailand to surprise Ms. Kanjana and her mother without notice. He arranged for a friend with a Thai wife to pick him up, but they missed each other. He then took a bus to Buriram and then a cab to Nang Rong district to look for his daughter’s house.
However, due to a language barrier with the cab driver, he was taken to Nang Rong Hotel in Chaloem Phra Kiat District, Buriram Province.
The hotel staff helped search for the name given by Mr. Terry and Ms. Kanjana was notified that her father was at the hotel. She immediately rushed to him and brought a red rose and a garland of marigolds as a token of her love for him.
“When I saw my father, I was overjoyed and excited. I never thought we would see each other again after 48 years of separation. Even though he is not my biological father, he took care of me from the time I was in my mother’s womb until I was one year old. I feel a bond like between father and daughter,” said Ms. Kanjana.
Mr. Terry is expected to return to the United States on 21 August. During that time, she plans to take him to live with her mother and stay in her home. If the opportunity arises, she may also travel to the United States to visit him.
Ms. Than Worachak, an employee of the Nang Rong Hotel, said that on 4 August, a cab driver dropped off a passenger at the hotel. He stayed for a night and tried to say that he was looking for someone. Ms. Than could understand a little and called the hotel owner to help communicate.
They found out that Mr. Terry had traveled from the United States to find his daughter, from whom he had been separated for a long time.
The hotel owner then searched for the daughter’s name on Facebook and found her posts looking for her American father. They called the number listed in the post, and when father and daughter finally met, everyone was delighted that the hotel had helped bring them back together.
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