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.
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.
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.
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.
