Facebook reunites Thai mother and daughter after three decades

"When I saw my mother for the first time, I was overjoyed," said 33-year-old Sangdao. "I had never thought I would see her again. I thought she had passed away."

Sangdao was only one year old when her father took her after splitting with her mother. Since then, both the mother-and-daughter have attempted to find each other, but both had failed to obtain any relevant information until now.

That failure ended recently when one of Suwan’s relatives offered to try to find Sangdao on social media.

The relative looked Sangdao’s name up on Facebook, and after a while, succeeded in finding her profile. Soon they started to exchange messages and contact information. From the conversations, Suwan knew that her husband had passed away, and that her long-separated daughter was married and had children herself.

As soon as she confirmed Suwan was truly her mother, Sangdao started arranging a trip to Prakhon Chai, Buri Ram, where her mother resides. They finally met each other in person on Tuesday, at a blessing ceremony held by their relative in accordance with Thai tradition.

Sangdao said her life now seemed complete after the reunification. Her only wish now is simple: "I want to visit her often and hope she is in good health."