13 Thais Missing during Caving Expedition

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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 Gaybutton »

I hate to even think it, but this does not look as if there is much chance now for a happy ending.
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Re: 13 Thais Missing during Caving Expedition

Post by fountainhall »

Let's hope they are as lucky as the miners trapped in a Chilean mine back in 2010. They survived for 17 days before one of the drills reached them and they taped a note to the drill bit so those on the surface knew they were alive. It took another 49 days to get them out. The major difference is that those miners had plenty of oxygen in a large space and several tunnels. One concern in Chiang Rai is that the caverns in the cave system are small. Sadly oxygen might not last more than a few days.
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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

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Re: 13 Thais Missing during Caving Expedition

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Thailand's Prime Minister visits cave site as rescue efforts begin their sixth day.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/genera ... -continues
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Re: 13 Thais Missing during Caving Expedition

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This by all accounts is a human tragety, one can only immagine what the parents must feel at this moment, as I have folllwed this tale of woe closely I thought how could this happen as the dangers are clearly marked this article mirrors some of my thoughts:

https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/pos ... ch-lessons
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Re: 13 Thais Missing during Caving Expedition

Post by Captain Kirk »

Every night I come home from work and this is the story I look for first on return. Just keep hoping they are found safe and well.
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Re: 13 Thais Missing during Caving Expedition

Post by fountainhall »

There is an excellent Opinion piece in today's Bangkok Post. It highlights the need for Thailand to establish a National Emergency Management Agency. It's very pertinent and well worth reading. I quote part here.
To risk a cliché, what has happened at the cave over the past week sums up the broad spectrum of 21st century Thailand -- the scientific Thailand, the supernatural Thailand, the dogged, indefatigable, never-say-never Thailand, and the unready, politicised, emotional Thailand.

The Thailand where academics rally to provide coordinated information of the cave system while Buddhists pray to sacred beings, Muslims organise special prayers, and spiritual mediums held seances to unblock the dark forces that might be holding the victims captive in the depth of the cavern. The Thailand where incense is burned next to a water pump, and offerings are made for the local Goddess Nang Non as the Seals team braves the muddy water. Nature is all-powerful, and the supernatural is an all-too-human need of convincing ourselves that we still have a say.

Then, reporters of varying stripes descended upon the cave entrance, performing their duty and feeding us hourly updates. In some cases, they also got in the way of the rescuers. Worse, the public's anxious anticipation for good news has fed into a sewer of exploitative, attention-seeking fake news agencies and wild rumours, and every day we keep seeing groundless reports that the boys have been found and saved -- only to be dismissed minutes later. Then the next day, the cycle repeats. Be careful that our hunger for news is turning delusional, and our desire for emotional satisfaction often overrides fact. It's not the first time this has happened, and it certainly won't be the last.

Then came the VIPs. To start with, no one should ever doubt the sacrifice of the officers and staff working round the clock, but with all the bigwigs at the already crowded cave we're seeing the Thailand where every social phenomenon risks being turned into a spectacle, a festival, a stunt, and where politics, power play and and public opinion is exploited. Our top police chiefs are there on the scene -- some of them have real work to do, others simply don't. Freshly becoming a meme-of-the-week character is deputy national police chief Srivara Ransibrahmanakul, who epitomised the finger-pointing boss when he was captured in a video reprimanding rescue staff for digging in the cave without a licence -- are you serious, sir, a licence?

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha himself visited the operation yesterday, and his spokesperson assured us that this wasn't a red-carpet distraction for those who're racing against time. At the cave interview, the PM said something about an election. Are you -- swear it on Goddess Nang Non -- absolutely serious, sir?

. . . The arrival of these VIPs also points to something more fundamental: the lack of a national emergency management agency, not just for this cave incident, but for similar disasters that might happen. That our geography exempts us from the curses of fault lines and volcanic wrath doesn't mean we don't have to prepare for flash floods, mudslides, tsunamis or stranded tourists. Cobbling together help from charity and volunteerism is admirable but not sustainable. We rely on the superheroes and the supernatural, and yet we should realise that, unfortunate as these 13 victims are, such misfortune is natural, and the best way to deal with it is to be ready at all time.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opi ... is-unfolds
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Re: 13 Thais Missing during Caving Expedition

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Prayers are heard throughout the Kingdom as the search continues:.
.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/genera ... -lost-boys
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