13 Thais Missing during Caving Expedition

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fountainhall

Re: 13 Thais Missing during Caving Expedition

Post by fountainhall »

The Media Conference with the Boys

This is a rough summary of the long and happy media conference held with the boys from the soccer team, Coach Ek and three of the Navy SEALS.

As the boys entered, they were wearing bright new Wild Boars T-shorts and there was applause. They first played around with soccer balls. They were then joined by more youngsters, I assume their siblings and/or classmates. Looking remarkably fit and well, they moved up to the stage where they sat through an introduction also in Thai.

There was then a vdo of the boys still in their hospital pajamas saying thank you and goodbye to the hospital staff. Some looked a little abashed at the hugs and handshakes they received. All questions had been vetted in advance to ensure there would be no emotional distress.

The usual True Visions channels had no English translation but CNN had the programme with English. There were a few comments about their excellent physical and mental condition. Then the boys introduced themselves. The Navy Seals who stayed in the cave with them also introduced themselves. Adul was asked about the moment they were found by the British diver. The question master wanted him to reply in English but he was a bit shy and said “Later!” When found, they were sitting on the ledge. Hearing the diver’s voice, they rushed down to the water’s edge. At first he thought they were Thai and when they came out of the water he was surprised they spoke English. He thought it was a miracle and he did not know how to respond. He responded to them in English but was still in a state of shock.

The coach said he did not know English and asked Bew and Adul to translate for him. He then told the boys to calm down. After the British divers arrived, we were told to move higher up. We all had forgotten about school and the others just shouted “Eat! Eat!”

Did they have a chance to watch the World Cup Final? They said it was a great game. They supported France. At first one boy said he did not think he would enjoy the game but there were four players he particularly liked. Some of the medical staff were supporting Croatia. It was the only match they were able to watch.

On going into the cave, they decided as a group that they should go to the cave because most of the boys had never been there before. Beforehand, they played a soccer game. They went in quite deep. The coach said if they found flooding they would leave. They did not go to celebrate a birthday, but one of the boys had a birthday party at home at 5:00 pm to which they were all invited. Most of the boys can swim because they would usually go swimming after finishing soccer training. After an hour, the coach decided they should leave and told everyone they would be go home. It was when they were swimming back to the cave entrance someone shouted “there’s water”. One of the boys asked, “Are we lost?” The coach said there was only one route out but he would go to check. But he then discovered that the entrance was now blocked with mud and rocks. One of the boys said he was scared and afraid he Mum would scold him.

Although they were stuck, they remained calm and tried to think of a solution. When they realised they could not get out, they realised they had to spend overnight in the cave, assuming they would be able to get out the next day. They had already eaten their food by that stage. They found a small hill with a waterfall. The coach decided they would stay there and asked everyone to say prayers. None was scared at that moment. They assumed someone would try and find them the next day.

They drank the water dripping from above which tasted like normal water. The first day they did not feel any difference in their bodies. After the second day, they noticed definite changes and decided to use just one torch at a time and save the others. Thereafter everyone feel tired with little physical strength. The youngest one tried not to think of food but found he could not stop thinking of fried rice and chilli dip! They all filled their stomachs with water to try to avoid hunger pangs.

They realised they should try and find a way out and so during the daytime they tried to dig themselves out but were only able to dig about 3 meters. Two of the boys had been told about another exit to the cave, but then they realised they had no idea where it was. They felt there were two options. Wait till they were found or move to a higher area. They could not hear the rain but they realised the water level was increasing. So they abandoned plans to move.

After the SEALS arrived and stayed with them they brought food and blankets. But the SEAL who spoke said he thought it impossible to take them out the way they had come in. He thought the safest way would be to drill a hole from above. But the international divers told them they would have to wait, use full face masks and then take the boys out by diving. One of the boys said it was funny when a SEAL had to take his wet suit off and he was naked apart from a layer of foil (I think only his chest but it was not translated)! The SEAL tested their mental state to see if they were willing to fight.

Asked how they spend the 9 days with the boys, the SEAL said they played some chess and board games. One of the boys always seemed to win! The coach said they were all like family inside the cave. The second youngest said he flet like they were his father because they called him “son”. They always kept the boys happy.

The coach said they were all sad at the sacrifice made by Saman. Once they found out about his death, they were very shocked and could not believe it. They felt guilty that they might have caused his death. They showed the framed portrait of Khun Saman with all the messages they added. There was a very touching moment when the youngest faced the portrait and offered his family their deepest condolences.

Asked what they learned from the experience, Coach Ek said he really appreciated all the kindness and help from everyone, and the importance of calmness. In future he will be more careful. Other boys said they will not be careless. They will live every minute of their lives. The 12 year old said the experience had strengthened him. The youngest said he had learned patience and strength. Three said in addition to their dreams of being footballers they now want perhaps also to become Navy SEAL officers. Making their families proud by finishing school and going on to a higher education was another comment.

As to the selection of the order about who went first, Dr. Harris, the Australian anaethetist diver, said they were all fit for the trip. So it was decided partly by Khun Ek and a SEAL officer. It was planned to send the second youngest on thin the first batch, but they did not have a small enough face mask. Even on the second day the mask was too large, so he had to wait till the last day. Generally the kids who lived the furthest from the cave were selected to go first.

None of them had told their parents they were going to the cave. The youngest, Tai-thun, had been worried that his father would be angry with him. The coach said they were all sure the boys’ parents would be very angry with them.

One questioned was aksed by the senior official in charge about the citizenship issue for the four who are stateless. He said the matter was under serious consideration.

The media event went on for an hour and 25 minutes. All the boys looked fit and smiled throughout. I was totally staggered by the extraordinarily good spirits shown by the boys. They really are a very special group.
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Re: 13 Thais Missing during Caving Expedition

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"In the land of the blind the one eyed man is king"
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Re: 13 Thais Missing during Caving Expedition

Post by gerefan »

They were extremely impressive, an absolute credit to Thailand.
fountainhall

Re: 13 Thais Missing during Caving Expedition

Post by fountainhall »

Agree 100%. Perhaps we should also add they are a huge credit to their small community. We do not hear enough about life north of Chiang Rai.
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Re: 13 Thais Missing during Caving Expedition

Post by Gaybutton »

I'm hoping a better quality video will become available, but for now here is the press conference in its entirety, with translation.

You need to scroll up to 32 minutes into the video. That is where the press conference begins. Until then it's just reporters milling around.


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Re: 13 Thais Missing during Caving Expedition

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Forgive me for venting, and I know that this is totally missing the point, but I can't help but be appalled by how much misinformation we've been fed over the past weeks. It turns out that all the boys can swim. It became a moot point since they were carried out and didn't have to swim at all, but even the rescue divers thought that they couldn't and that might have figured in their planning. Couldn't someone have asked their parents or friends? I did see one father, early on, say that his son could swim, but that didn't stop the reports that none of them could. And they didn't go in to the cave to celebrate one boy's birthday, hence they weren't carrying snacks for that purpose. Some had been in the cave before, not all. As for the order in which they came out, it wasn't the doctor who decided, it wasn't the coach alone, it wasn't the weakest, or the strongest, or the bravest who came out first, it was who lived furthest away! (Or so we're told now--and why would that be a consideration?). The first divers didn't find them huddled on the slope--they were higher up and came down one by one as they realized the divers were there--and real. There wasn't only one boy who spoke English, and, with all due respect, he doesn't know it particularly well. The list goes on.

I realize that in the end none of this matters, and none of it reflects in the least on the boys or the rescuers. But it threatens to make me a stronger believer in the idea of "fake news." Lacking concrete facts, the news media simply made them up, or repeated vague rumors as fact, or happily picked up some other news outlets' false reports and ran with them. In a story with a happy ending that showed almost everyone involved at their best, I think the media comes off the worst. And it makes it harder to take any future story on any subject at anything near face value.
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Re: 13 Thais Missing during Caving Expedition

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Captain Swing wrote:Forgive me for venting, and I know that this is totally missing the point, but I can't help but be appalled by how much misinformation we've been fed over the past weeks.
Forgive me, I don't care. They got out, that'll do for me. Journalists will always exaggerate or latch onto rumours or whatever, we see it all the time. I remember the newspapers the morning after 9/11, they were reporting in the region of 20/30,000 deaths and it turned out to be 3,000.
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Re: 13 Thais Missing during Caving Expedition

Post by gerefan »

Captain Swing...about 40 years ago I gave up reading newspapers. I’m also very sceptical of anything I hear or see on the TV.

I have also been in the unfortunate position of having to deal with the press occasionally. An experience I wouldn’t wish on anyone.

Beleive everything you hear or are told about the bastards.

Welcome to the real world of news coverage!
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Re: 13 Thais Missing during Caving Expedition

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I know, I know. I'm not as naive as I undoubtedly sounded. But it just seemed so constant and blatant in this story. There aren't a lot of stories I follow as closely as I did this one, reading so many different sources, and therefore seeing so many versions of the same supposed fact, all of which turn out to be wrong. It's not that I was formerly convinced of the media's accuracy and had my illusions shattered. Rather I guess I was disgusted at having my skepticism so flagrantly reinforced.
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Re: 13 Thais Missing during Caving Expedition

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Captain Swing wrote:Forgive me for venting, and I know that this is totally missing the point, but I can't help but be appalled by how much misinformation we've been fed over the past weeks.
Now you know how people feel about Trump's version of what happened in his meeting with Putin!
"In the land of the blind the one eyed man is king"
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