Press Conference

The 12 boys rescued from a flooded cave in northern Thailand last week have spoken publicly of their ordeal for the first time, describing the "moment of miracle" when divers found them.

Adul Sam-on, 14, the only member of the group who speaks English, told reporters he could only say "hello" when the British divers surfaced.

The boys were trapped in the Tham Luang caves for more than two weeks.

They left hospital earlier on Wednesday and are on their way home.

The 12, who are members of a junior football team ( the Wild Boars) appeared in their club's kit at a news conference in Chiang Rai.

They were greeted by a banner that read "Bringing the Wild Boars Home" on a stage designed to look like a football pitch.

The boys sat alongside members of the Thai Navy Seals who helped rescue them.

One boy described how they had lived on water from the stones of the cave. "Water is clean," he said. "Only water, no food."

Chanin "Titan" Wibrunrungrueang, 11, said: "I tried not to think about food because it would make me hungry."

Unbeatable team spirit

By Howard Johnson, BBC News, Chiang Rai 

This was a joyous news conference.

The first joke was cracked by a Thai Navy Seal diver as he introduced himself: "My name is Baitoey and I'm the most beautiful in the cave."

The room erupted with laughter.

First to speak was Adul, the boy who communicated with the British divers. He said the coach asked him to translate. His reply: "Chill, I can't understand that quickly!" Cue more fits of giggles.

The boys' friends, family and nurses from Chiang Rai Hospital were smiling and willing them on from the sidelines.


As attention turned to how they became trapped, the mood in the room became more sober.

The boys listened attentively as their coach described finding the shelf that kept them safe.

When Titan, the youngest of the 12, said he tried not to think of food because it only made him hungry, the others laughed out loud - proof again that even in the worst conditions, these boys have an unbeatable team spirit.

The boys went missing on 23 June and were found by divers on 2 July. Navy Seals then brought them food and other supplies.



The group described how they bonded with their rescuers over more than a week, until their final rescue.

"We played draughts (checkers)," Titan said. "(Navy Seal) Baitoey always won and he was the king of cave."



The team's miraculous story has been widely reported - but it still remained for them to fill in the details. Here's what we learned from Wednesday's press conference.

1. How they got lost

On 23 June, following a football training session, the team's coach Ekkapol "Ake" Chantawong said the group had agreed to go "sightseeing" and visit the Tham Luang caves for the first time.

"We planned to go for an hour," he said.

Ake said it was not, as earlier reported, to celebrate a birthday - although one of the boys, Peerapat Sompiangjai, known as Night, said he was keen to be home before 17:00 because his parents had prepared a party for his 17th.

"We walked normally... [but] after we went into the cave, we knew we were stuck on the way back out," Ake said. The group had started to notice pools of water as they made their back way through the tunnels.

"Some asked if we were lost. I said we weren't going in the wrong direction."

Ake said that after realising they were indeed lost, the group walked until they found a dry, sandy spot.

"We stayed near a water source. We slept at this sand spot. Before we slept, we prayed to Buddha.

We thought in the morning, water would come down and officials would look for us. We weren't scared at that time."

2. How they spent their time in the cave

Between pauses, the group walked around the complex in an attempt to find an exit, while using the flashlight "sparingly", Ake said.

But as time went on, the boys started to lose their strength.

One of the boys described how they drank water as it trickled down the rocks, but said that there was no food to eat.

"I fainted. I had no energy and was very hungry. I tried not to think about food because it would make me hungry," said Chanin Vibulrungruang.

Ake said they reached a point where they wanted to do more than just wait to be found.

"We tried to dig [ourselves] out. We took turns digging at the cave walls. We didn't want to wait around until the authorities found us."



One of the boys said they used stones to dig at the walls.
Ake added that contrary to some reports, all of the boys can swim, although some "aren't strong swimmers".
To help pass the time, the group said they played checkers together.

3. How it felt to see rescuers

"It happened in the evening," said Adul Sam-on, 14, who described the moment that two British divers discovered them squatting in the flooded chamber as a "miracle".
"We were sitting on a stone. We heard some people talking. Coach told us to be quiet and listen," he said.
Adul, the only member of the group who speaks English, said he took the flashlight and rushed down towards the divers, then when they surfaced to talk, "I said hi".
"I was stunned because they were English, so I said 'hello'. They asked how are you? So I said I am okay. I asked if they wanted any help. And they said no and told me to go back up. Then he said, how many of you?"
Adul said that having already spent nine days in the cave, "maths and language didn't work in my brain any more".

4. Their feelings about the Navy diver's sacrifice

When asked about the volunteer and former Navy Seal diver, Saman Gunan, who lost his life on 6 July while installing oxygen tanks in the flooded cave complex, Ake said that the whole group was shocked and saddened by the news.
"They felt like they were the reason he had to die and his family had to suffer," he said, adding that "Saman sacrificed his life to save us, so that we could go and live our lives."


Ake said the boys would spend time as novice Buddhist monks to honour the diver's memory.

• Ex-navy diver dies on oxygen supply mission
• The heroes who saved the Wild Boars

The boys were only told of Saman Gunan's sacrifice on Saturday, when it was determined that they were strong enough to take the news.
"All cried and expressed their condolences by writing messages on a drawing of Lieutenant Commander Saman and observed one minute of silence for him," said Jedsada Chokdamrongsuk, permanent secretary at the health ministry.

5. How they chose who was brought out first

Coach Ake said the plan was discussed in detail with the rescuers and Thai Navy Seals.
The group ultimately decided on a risky operation that involved diving through waterlogged passages while the boys were sedated to keep them calm, and then carried out on "military-grade stretchers".
When asked if the plan had involved bringing the boys out in a certain order, Ake said it hadn't.
"They chose to go out voluntary. No weaker or stronger first."


Dr Pak Loharnshoon, who was also at Wednesday's press conference, said that as all of the boys were healthy enough to be moved, "any of them could go out first".
Ake said it came down to "whoever raised their hands first would go out first... some of them didn't want to go because they wanted to stay with the Seals".
Dr Pak said that when the boys were first delivered food in the cave, they found it so delicious that some of them "snuck food out in wetsuits".

With their press duties now concluded, the boys and their young coach will finally return to their homes on Wednesday night.
Psychiatrists have advised their families that the youngsters should not have contact with the media for at least a month.



__


The strength of the boys has returned, a health official says. They are looking forward to eating home cooking. They can go back and lead a normal life now, the official says.
Another official says the boys’ mental state is “quite good”. They have had good moral and mental support since being rescued a third official says.
The boys listened to the instruction given. “They were quite obedient” an official, identified as a psychologist, says.

 In the video clip the boys are shown thanking the medical staff at the Chian Rai Prachanukroh hospital.


All 12 boys, and the coach appear, to be present.
More than 100 questions have been submitted by journalists, a host says. The questions have been vetted by doctors.
The boys are on stage now while a video clip of them recovering in hospital is played.
Here’s the kickabout as they arrived:

The new conference will be broadcast on national TV in a programme called Thailand Moves Forward, after a rendition of the national anthem.
The venue for the press conference is Chiang Rai’s provincial hall.

Thai PBS News has more images of the boys as they left hospital. They are all dressed in Wild Boar team t-shirts.

It is unclear how many of the boys will show up at the press conference. The BBC reported that only the boys who feel comfortable talking to the media will be present.
It may also be a challenge to work out which boys are talking at the press conference, as there appear to be no plans to issue labels identifying the players.
For brevity we will use nicknames to identify the players if it clear who is talking.


Following their release from hospital, the boys are now planning to enter the Thai monkhood, as a way to pay tribute to the Thai Navy Sea, Saman Kunan, who died during the rescue operation.
While ordaining as a full monk is only available to men over 20, the boys will train as novices. It is not an uncommon choice for young men in Thailand, where almost 90% of the country is Buddhist and is also not a lifelong commitment.
While some choose to remain monks for their entire lives, most Buddhists ordain for just a few years.
When they are ordained as novices it is reported the boys will donate their merit to the memory of Saman, which is the highest honour in Buddhism. It is thought they will ordain as novices at Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, one of the most sacred temples in northern Thailand.
It has also been seen as a fitting choice because the boy’s football coach Ekkapol Chantawong had trained as a novice monk for over a decade, before leaving three years ago.
During the nine days they were all trapped in the cave, without contact from the outside world, Ekkapol taught the boys meditation and used Buddhist prayer as a vital way to keep their energy and spirits up.

 Here’s what we know about the boys and their coach:


Ekaphol Chantawong, 25, the coach, nicknamed Ake
The assistant coach of the Wild Boars took his squad into the cave on 23 June. He was once ordained as a Buddhist monk, and since leaving the order has spent much of his time caring for his grandmother. Thai news outlets have reported that the authorities have not ruled out charging him with a crime, but Thai government spokesman Lt Gen Werachon Sukondhapatipak told the Guardian that “no one is talking about that”.
Werachon said the coach’s presence had been a comfort to the boys: “The coach is advising them that they need to lie down, of course [try] meditation, try not to move their bodies too much, try not to waste their energy. And of course, by meditation, they stay conscious all the time, so their mind will not be wandering around.”
In a letter written inside the cave and delivered to the parents of the Wild Boars last week, Chantawong, who has coached the team for more than three years, apologised and promised to take care of their children.
The parents wrote back: “Don’t blame yourself … No parents are angry with you at all, so don’t you worry about that.”

Adul Sam-on, 14, nicknamed Dul
He was the boy who called out in English to ask the British divers what day it was when they first reached the team. He added that he and his friends were hungry. His teammates, unable to follow the conversation, chattered “eat, eat, eat” with the little English they had. Adul assured his friends: “I already told them.”
His English skills have won him the admiration of millions in Thailand, where fewer than 30% of the population speak the language. According to local news outlets, his knowledge of English comes from his involvement in church activities. He also speaks Thai, Mandarin, and Burmese, which he learned living just over the border in Shan state, Myanmar. Like many students in Thailand’s Mae Sai district, he commutes over the border every day.


Mongkhol Boonpiam,13, nicknamed Mark.
Along with the coach and Adul Sam-on, Boonpiam is technically stateless.
His family come from northern Thailand’s porous and largely lawless border regions abutting Myanmar’s Shan state. As such the three are not considered citizens under Thai law, leaving them without many of the rights their teammates enjoy.
Thailand’s sports daily Siamsport reported that Mark has been playing football since he was in nursery school and loves the sport so much that he almost always wears a football shirt. His favourite team is Muangthong United, the leading team in the Thai Premier League.
He was has been named by Thai media as one of first four boys to be rescued from the cave.
“I just heard his name, Mongkhol, and I was happy enough,” his mother said.

Prajak Sutham, 14, nicknamed Note
He occasionally plays in goal when he is not in midfield. He has been playing football for two years and is known to be keen mountain biker.
In a note to his family written while trapped in the cave he wrote: “Mum, are you doing well at home? I am doing well. Please tell my teacher I love her. Love you, mum.”
He was also named as one of first four boys to be rescued from the cave.


Nattawut Takamsai, 14 nicknamed Tle
He was one of three strikers trapped in the cave.
His mother wrote to all the team while they were trapped saying: “Please don’t blame yourself.”
She added: “We are not mad at you at all. Do take good care of yourself. Don’t forget to cover yourself with blanket as the weather is cold. We’re worried. You will come out soon.”
She also told the coach: “We want you to know that no parents are angry with you at all, so don’t you worry about that.”

Pipat Bodhi, 15, nicknamed Nick
He is not a member of the Wild Boars team but joined the team’s practice match on 23 June to spend time with his friend Ekkarat Wongsookchan.
As one of the strongest he was one of the first boys rescued from the cave.
In a video released by the hospital over the weekend he said: “Thank you. I’m okay. I like to have rice with roast red pork and crispy pork.”



Panumas Saeangdee, 13, nicknamed Mick
Mick has been described as an ideal defender because of his fitness and fluid movement. However, his coaches have recently considered playing him as a striker because he is strong in the air and skilful with his head. He is said to play as well as a 15-year-old.
His family sat in vigil outside the cave after the boys went missing. “We all are sad and hope to see him soon,” his aunt told reporters.
She was been sitting vigil with Mick’s mother and grief-stricken grandfather who at the time had barely spoken in days.
“I’m taking care of his Grandpa... he hasn’t eaten much. He was the one who raised Mick, so I’m trying to comfort him,” she told AFP.
Speaking in the hospital video he said: “I’m fine. I’m safe now. I’m healthy. I like to have pork fried with basil. Thank you.”


Duangpetch Promthep, 13, nicknamed Dom
The captain of the Wild Boar team and one of three forwards trapped in the cave.
His teammates on the U16 squad say he has the qualities of a leader and a good sense of humour. Dom has been invited to trials by a number of leading provincial teams, including Sukhothai FC and Chiangrai United FC.
His beaming mother Thanaporn Promthep, was photographed with a an image of her son on an iPad after hearing the news that the group was found on July.
Recovering in hospital he said: “I’m healthy. Thank you for [your] help. I like to have rice with stewed pork leg.”


Chanin Wiboonrungrueng, 11 nicknamed Titan
Titan is the youngest Wild Boars player. He has been playing football for five years. When he joined his school’s sports club three years ago, he was invited to play for the Wild Boars.
He was one of the 11th boy to be rescued.
After the rescue his father, named Tanawut, said his son described the first three days in the cave as the hardest. The group was hungry and cold. The boys had trouble sleeping, and Titan cried, because he was missing his parent.
Tanawut says he’s touched by the actions of the team’s coach. Without him, the father says, he doesn’t know how the kids could have survived.
“Coach Ake hugged and encouraged him to be strong,” Tanawut told CBS.


Ekkarat Wongsookchan, 14 nicknamed Bew
The squad’s goalkeeper has reportedly improved his game over the past few years as a result of his disciplined personality. At the end of each training session, he steps up to collect the team’s equipment.
While trapped in the cave he wrote to his parents saying: ‘Don’t worry about me, dad and mum. I’ll be away for just two weeks. I’ll later help you, mum, sell goods when I have time. I’ll rush out of here.”
In a video released by the Thai ministry of health Bew is shown in his hospital bed raising his arms in a boxer’s victory pose.
He said: “say thanks to everyone that worried”.
Peerapat Sompiangjai, 16 nicknamed Nite
It was Peerapat’s birthday the group were celebrating when they entered the cave.
His sister told AFP the family had prepared a birthday cake for the right-winger along with grilled pork to celebrate with him that night.
A member of his cycling club, Sittthisak Sawanrak, told the BBC he was quiet but “a great lad who just loves to cycle and play football”.
He said he was looking forward to eating barbecued pork when he gets home.



Pornchai Kamluang, 16 nicknamed Tee
One of the defenders on the Wild Boar team.
“Don’t worry, I’m very happy”, he said in a letter to his parents while trapped in the cave.
In his hospital video message he said: “I want to eat fried rice with crispy pork. Thank you for sending us your support.”


Sompong Jaiwong, 13 nicknamed Pong
One of the team’s midfielders he was pictured in a red England shirt while huddled in the cave.
In a note to parents, written while trapped in the cave, he wrote: “I love you dad and mum. Don’t worry. We are all safe now. Love you all.”
In his hospital video message he said: “Thank you everyone from around the globe for helping us.
“I’m healthy. I like to eat basil pork with a fried egg.”



Welcome to live our coverage of an eagerly-awaited press conference due to be given by the Wild Boar football team after their dramatic rescue from the Tham Luang cave complex last week.
The 45-minute press conference, which will be broadcast live on national TV and around the world, is due to begin at 6pm local time (12pm BST).
The 12 boys, aged 11 to 16, and their 25-year-old coach have been recovering from their ordeal in Chiang Rai Prachanukroh hospital. They are due to be discharged, a day earlier than expected, after talking to the media.
The Thai authorities hope the press conference will satisfy huge media interest in the boys’ story. They have been concerned about the impact of sudden fame and media attention on the boys’ mental health, so the news conference will be carefully controlled.
Journalists have submitted questions which have been vetted by psychologists. Approved questions will be asked by an official.
This controlled approach means the boys are unlikely to be asked about the controversy over Elon Musk’s rejected offers of help during the rescue and his subsequent attack on officials and one of the British divers involved in the rescue. (Musk has since apologised).
Government spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd, said: “We want to reduce public curiosity. We arrange it so that, after that, the boys can go back to their regular lives,” Sansern said.
At a video played at a press conference over the weekend, the boys appeared in good spirits, thanking those involved in their rescue.

 https://www.theguardian.com/news/live/2018/jul/18/thailand-cave-rescue-boys-to-give-press-conference-live-updates

Chiang Rai, Thailand (CNN)Members of a Thai youth soccer team and their coach have described their rescue from a flooded cave as a miracle, thanked the experts who saved them and discussed how the experience will affect the rest of their lives.

In their first public remarks since emerging from their two-week ordeal last week, the boys recounted their side of an extraordinary story that captured the imagination of the world.

Dressed in matching team shirts, the boys and their coach appeared happy and relaxed as they faced the world's media after being discharged from the hospital in Chiang Rai on Wednesday.

The boys, all members of the Wild Boars junior soccer team, introduced themselves to the media, shared their nicknames and told the audience what position they played on the team

Members of the Wild Boars soccer team at the press conference.

Sitting beside the boys were the Thai Navy SEALs who stayed inside the cave with them after they were found, as well as members of the medical team who looked after them after the rescue. In a carefully arranged press conference, for which questions were pre-screened, the boys told of the moment they realized they were trapped, how they adapted to their surroundings and their eventual joy at being found, ten days later.

Authorities said that more than 100 questions were sent in from members of the media, though only a handful were selected. All 12 players and their coach had been under close supervision at Chiang Rai Prachanukroh hospital, near the border with Myanmar, since they were rescued from the cave on July 10.

Why go in?

Until Wednesday, the question of why the boys and their coach had decided to go into the Tham Luang cave on June 23 has been a point of speculation. It had been suggested the boys had been engaged in an initiation rite, or had been celebrating a team-member's birthday.

In fact, 25-year-old coach Ekapol Chantawong explained, the boys were merely curious to look inside as some of them had never visited it before. The coach, whose nickname is Ake, said it was not unusual for the group to participate in group activities after soccer practice on Saturday afternoons.

They explored the underground tunnels for about an hour, before deciding to turn back. But by this time the cave had become partially flooded and their exit was blocked. "Someone said are we lost?" said Ake, who reassured the group that help would come.

At his point, the realization dawned that they were trapped. With the entrance flooded and no obvious way out, the group retreated further into the cave to find somewhere to to rest for the night. "We moved further in for about 200 meters," Ake said. "There we found a bit of slope and there was a small water source inside the cave." Ake knew that the water dripping from the roof of the cave would be purer than the dirty floodwater on the floor. "I told them it's better to be near a water source," Ake said.

"Before we slept, I told them, 'Let's say a prayer.' So we said a prayer that night."

The team were not scared, Ake told the enraptured audience, explaining that he hoped the water level would drop the next day, and that help would arrive.

Waters rising

The waters did not subside, however. Instead, Ake described the moment that he heard the sound of flowing water -- and saw the levels rising fast. In response, he ordered the group to find higher ground. Concerned that they might soon be submerged, he instructed the boys to start digging and look for a potential exit.

Having eaten after soccer practice, the boys had no food during their ordeal. Instead, they filled themselves with water from the cave. "I tried not to think about food because it would make me hungry," said the youngest of the boys, 11-year-old Chanin "Titan" Wibrunrungrueang

The moment they were found

Adun Sam-On, the 14-year-old boy who became famous after responding in English to the first diver to reach the group, spoke of his shock on realizing they had been discovered.

Adun, like other members of the group, was busy digging -- looking for a possible way out -- when some of the boys thought they heard the sound of people talking.

Coach Ake told the group to stay quiet. He asked one of the boys to move closer to the ledge and shine a flashlight on the water, but the boy was too scared, said Adun, who volunteered instead.

When the British divers breached the surface, Adun said he was so shocked, all he could think to say was "hello!"

"I thought this was really a miracle. I didn't know how to respond," Adun said.

The Wild Boars were smiling and relaxed when they arrived at the press conference.

The boys described how they formed a bond with the Thai Navy SEALs who remained with them in the cave while rescuers worked out a plan to free them. Titan described how they played checkers -- and that one of the Navy SEALs sitting alongside them at the press conference always won. "He was king of the cave," Titan said.

When the decision was made to extract the boys through the floodwaters, coach Ake joked he and the boys made the decision on who should go first based on who lived the furthest away. Ake thought the rescued kids would go straight home and those who got out first could spread the word, not realizing the global media had descended on the cave.

Lessons learned

When asked about the lessons they've learned from the incident, Ake said he was going to live life more carefully.

Ardun said though people can't predict the future, the experience had taught him about the consequences of acting carelessly.

Other boys said though they still dreamed of becoming soccer players, some said they now wanted to become Navy SEALs.

Many of the boys apologized to their parents for not telling them they went to the cave.

Now that the boys' ordeal is over, there are concerns over their long-term psychological health. "We don't know what wounds the kids are carrying in their hearts," said Tawatchai Thaikaew, an official at the Thai justice ministry. He urged the media to respect the boys' privacy in the future, out of concern for their health, Reuters said.

Some of the boys are stateless, and the process of granting them Thai citizenship is under way, officials confirmed.

The largely joyous mood of the press conference was tempered, however, when the boys and their coach discussed the loss of Saman Kunan, the former Thai Navy SEAL who had died during the rescue effort. Coach Ake said the team were shocked to learn of Saman Kunan's death, called him a hero and said he had sacrificed his life for theirs.

In memory of the navy diver, Ake said the boys would spend time as novice Buddhist monks -- a practice considered a high honor in Thailand.

CNN's Joshua Berlinger and Steve George contributed to this report

http://punchng.com/it-was-a-miracle-thai-cave-boys-describe-two-week-ordeal/

It was meant to be a fun excursion after football practice, but it turned into a life-threatening, two-week ordeal for a group of youngsters trapped in a cave with rising waters and no apparent escape route.
When coach Ekkapol Chantawong led twelve members of his “Wild Boar” youth football team into the mouth of northern Thailand’s Tham Luang cave complex on 23 June, he thought they’d be no more than an hour.
“We didn’t have anything with us, no food,” he recalled at a press conference on Wednesday where the now world famous team recounted their harrowing ordeal and miraculous escape in their own words for the first time.

One of his pupils had a tutor class to get to later that evening. And besides, Ekkapol thought, the team often explored the complex after practice and knew its meandering tunnels well.
Thailand’s wet season was just around the corner — a period of monsoonal downpours that often floods the cave — and there were already pools of water inside the mouth.
READ ALSO: Buhari govt confused, incompetent to stem killings, says Obasanjo

A sign outside the cave warned against entry during the monsoon. But the kids were keen to have an adventure.
“We were discussing whether we wanted to explore the cave and, if so, how we would have to swim,” the 25-year-old coach, a much-loved mentor to the boys, recalled. “It would be wet, it would be cold. Everybody said yes.”
The team, aged 11 to 16, left their bikes and football boots near the opening of the cave before one of the boys waded into the water. The rest followed.

– Trapped in the dark –

Had the heavens not opened, the Wild Boars would have been home by mid-afternoon.
Instead a sudden deluge forced them deep inside the cave as floodwaters rushed through the entrance and steadily rose up the walls.

That fateful decision sparked one of the most remarkable, touch-and-go cave rescue operations in history.
It brought Thai Navy SEALs and international cave diving experts together to pull off the fiendishly difficult task of first locating the missing boys and then extracting them through miles of flooded passageways, as a breathless world looked on.
One former Thai Navy SEAL, Saman Kunan, died when his air ran out during a resupply mission.
Trapped in the dank, pitch-black darkness, the boys had no idea whether anyone was even coming for them — let alone that they had generated non-stop global headlines.
“I was really afraid that I wouldn’t be able to return home,” 13-year-old Mongkol Boonpiem, recalled. 
Fortunately they had a fresh water supply.
“We drank water that fell from the rocks,” Pornchai Khamluang, the 16-year-old boy who first waded into the water, told reporters. “It was clean and tasted like any drinking water.”
As the hours turned into days, the boys did what they could to keep their spirits up — coach Ekkapol, who spent some years in a local monastery as a Buddhist monk, taught them how to meditate to keep calm and preserve air.
They had little concept of time but the first time they went to sleep they prayed, Ekkapol said. 

– ‘Miracle’ –

Calm camaraderie saw them through but there were moments of terror.
The rising floodwaters kept pushing the group deeper into the cave. At one point they started trying to dig their way out, a futile illustration of their desperation in a cave system buried under hundreds of metres of limestone. 
“We used rocks to dig out the cave wall,” said Phanumas Saengdee, 13. “We dug three to four metres”.
Eventually the team settled on a small muddy ledge some four kilometres inside the cave, figuring all they could do was hope someone would find them. 
Salvation came on day nine in what to the boys seemed like the most unlikely of forms. The team heard voices but the language they were speaking was not Thai.
Two British cave diving experts, who had spent days battling the flooded passages, had finally located the stranded group.
Adul Sam-on, 14, was the only member of the Wild Boars who could speak English.
“When he (the diver) emerged from the water I was shocked that he was British,” he recalled. “It was a miracle, I was frightened and I asked him ‘Can I help you?'”
In video of the scene that was captured by one of the diver’s bodycameras and later broadcast around the world, the bedraggled boys, dressed in mud-caked football kits, could be seen thanking their rescuers.
“Many people are coming. Many, many people,” the diver reassured the boys.
They were no longer lost or alone. The rescue mission was on.

--

The Thai boys and their coach began their first day back home with their families since they were rescued from a flooded cave with a trip to a Buddhist temple on Thursday to pray for protection from misfortunes.
The 11 boys and the coach knelt and pressed their hands in prayer to the tune of chanting monks. They were joined by relatives and friends at the Wat Phra That Doi Wao temple, overlooking Myanmar on Thailand’s northern border.

The remaining member of the Wild Boars soccer team – Adul Sargon – is not a Buddhist and did not attend the ceremony, meant to extend one’s life and protect it from dangers.


The team has already said they would ordain as Buddhist novices to honour a former Thai navy Seal diver who died in the cave while making preparations for their rescue.

On Wednesday evening, the boys and coach faced the media for the first time since their ordeal, describing their surprise at seeing two British divers rising from muddy waters in the recesses of the cave. It would be another week before they were pulled out of the Tham Luang cave.
“We weren’t sure if it was for real,” 14-year-old Adul said. “So we stopped and listened. And it turned out to be true. I was shocked.”
In one poignant and emotional moment at the news conference, a portrait was displayed of Saman Gunan, the Thai diver who died. One of the boys, 11-year-old Chanin “Titan” Vibulrungruang, the youngest of the group, covered his eyes as if wiping away a tear.
“I feel sad. And another thing is I’m really impressed with sergeant Sam for sacrificing his life for all 13 Wild Boars to be able to live our lives outside happily and normally,” he said. “When we found out, everyone was sad. Extremely sad, like we were the cause of this that made the sergeant’s family sad and having to face problems.” 


The Wild Boars had entered the cave on 23 June for what was to be a relaxing excursion after soccer practice. But rain began, and water soon filled the cavern, cutting off their escape, and they huddled on a patch of dry ground deep inside the cave. 
Coach Ekapol “Ake” Chanthawong said the trip was meant to last one hour, simply because “each of us wanted to see what was inside”.
When the hour was up, they were pretty deep inside and already had swum through some flooded areas in the spirit of adventure. But in turning back, he discovered the way was not at all clear, and he swam ahead to scout the route, attaching a rope to himself so the boys could pull him back if necessary.

He said he had to be pulled out.
Ekapol said he told the boys: “We cannot go out this way. We have to find another way.”






The boys told reporters of their reactions at that point.
“I felt scared. I was afraid I wouldn’t get to go home and my mom would scold me, said Mongkol Boonpiam, 13, prompting laughter.
Ekarat Wongsukchan, 14, said they decided “to calm ourselves first, to try to fix the problem and find a way out. Be calm and not shocked.”
The group had taken no food with them and survived by drinking water that dripped from the cave walls, Ekapol said, adding that all the boys knew how to swim, which had been a concern for rescuers.

Titan said he tried hard not to think about food. “When I’m starving, I don’t think of food otherwise it’d make me more hungry.”
Adul said they were digging around the spot when they heard the voices and Ekapol called for silence.
He recounted how Ekapol told them to “‘quickly get down there, that’s the sound of a person, or else they’re going to pass on by,’ something like that”.

But he said his teammate holding the flashlight was scared, so Adul told him “If you’re not going to go, then I’ll go.”
“So I quickly took the flashlight, and quickly went down, and I greeted them ‘hello’,” Adul added.
Psychologists had vetted the journalists’ questions in advance to avoid bringing up any aspects of the rescue that might disturb them. The dangers of the complicated operation, in which the boys were extracted in three separate missions with diving equipment and pulleys through the tight passageways, were not discussed.
Doctors said the 13 were physically and mentally healthy. Although they lost an average of 4 kilograms (9 pounds) during the more than two weeks they were trapped in the cave, they have since gained about 3 kilograms (6 1/2 pounds) on average since their rescue. They were treated for minor infections.

Asked what he had learned from their experience, 13-year-old Mongkol Boonpiam said he felt stronger. “I have more patience, endurance, tolerance,” he said.

Adul said it had taught him “not to live life carelessly”.
While many of the boys wanted to be pro soccer players when they grow up, at least four of them said they hope to become navy Seals, so they could help others.
All expressed their apologies to their families.
“I wanted to apologise to my parents. I know that I will get yelled at by mom when I get home,” said Pornchai Kamluang, 16.

Ekarat said sheepishly he wanted to apologise to his parents because while he told them he was going to a cave, he told them the wrong one.
“I told them I was going to Tham Khun Nam,” he said. “I didn’t tell them I went to Tham Luang. So I was wondering how they found us at the right cave.”

CHIANG RAI, Thailand — Thailand's rescued cave boys woke up in their own homes for the first time in more than three weeks on Thursday, with many rising at dawn to take part in a religious ceremony.

The 12 boys, aged 11 to 16, and their 25-year-old coach were discharged from a hospital in the northern province of Chiang Rai on Wednesday and later made their first public appearance.

During a national TV broadcast they smiled, joked and showed solidarity with one another, as they shared details of their traumatic experience inside the flooded Tham Luang cave complex.

Many of the boys hail from the sleepy district of Mae Sai, near the border with Myanmar. Some were greeted with hugs, tears and smiles from waiting relatives and friends when they returned home on Wednesday. Others were blessed with water as they entered their homes.

Rescued boys, coach say they never gave up hope of being found in Thailand cave

The boys' coach, Ekapol Chanthawong, said he was finally relax now the boys were at home with their families.
"I am very happy to be home. I can finally sleep well last night," he said.
The boys have already said they would become Buddhist novices to honour former Thai Navy SEAL diver who died in the cave while making preparations for their rescue.