FIRST EVER PAN-ASIAN ARMENIAN COMMUNITY GATHERING TAKES PLACE IN BANGKOK

15:43, 13 Jan 2015

In a historic event for the diaspora, Armenian communities across
Far East gathered in Bangkok, Thailand, on Saturday January 10th to
celebrate the Armenian Christmas.

His Grace Bishop Haygazoun Najarian, Primate of the Armenian Diocese
of Australia and New Zealand and Pontifical Legate to the Far East
travelled to Thailand to celebrated Holy Badarak with the crowd.

“It is touching to see such a vibrant community come together and
to see that their faith remains as strong as the faith of their
forefathers,” said His Grace Bishop Najarian.

Following mass, which was held in a local Anglican Church, the
approximately 80 attendees headed to the Grand Hyatt Erawan in Bangkok
where they enjoyed an evening of celebration.

“Our communities in Asia are growing and it is important to continue
to maintain our Armenian culture, traditions, and language despite
being so far from our roots.” said His Excellency Arto Artinian,
Honorary Consul of the Republic of Armenia to the Kingdom of Thailand.

He served as the host of the evening, welcoming guests that included
His Excellency Mr. Gegham Gharibjanian, Ambassador Extraordinary and
Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Armenia to the United Arab Emirates.

Armenian communities have been growing across Far East in recent years,
with active communities in China, India, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore,
Thailand and Vietnam. These communities have also been active in
preserving the old Armenian Churches and heritage buildings in the
region, particularly in Myanmar and Bangladesh.

His Holiness Karekin II visited Myanmar in November 2014; a month
later the Armenian Community of China celebrated its first mass in
Mainland China in many decades. The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation also
recently awarded two academic fellowships to research and document
the history of old Armenian communities in China, which date back to
the 17th century.

Henri Arslanian, President of the Armenian Community of China, updated
the attendees on the various regional initiatives taking place. “Our
communities in Asia are growing very quickly with smart, ambitious
and driven individuals from all around the world. It is our moral duty
to ensure the preservation of our old heritage in the region,” he said.