My grandfather was a merchant whose business was ‘nationalised’ after the 1962 military coup. His eldest son was my father Eric. He was an engineer and worked in the refinery in Syriam, where he also had a house. Our grandfather’s estate was on University Avenue in Rangoon, right next to that of Aung San’s widow, Daw Khin Kyi. She used to be a nurse by profession, just like my mother. She knew her neighbor Aung San Suu Kyi very well. In 1986 the grandfather died. His sons sold the house and shared the money.
Ten members of our immediate family still live in Myanmar, many have emigrated. My uncles are also married to Burmese women, we keep in touch with each other and with our expatriate family members who live mostly in Australia, Canada, the USA and Great Britain. Most of them emigrated during World War II. Many Armenians today have adopted Burmese names. My daughter Rachel is married to a Burmese and, with her husband’s consent, tries to teach her children about Christian values. John Felix (BBC) has reported on our church (https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-28867884). We estimate that there are still about a thousand Armenians or their descendants in the country.