13 Thais Missing during Caving Expedition

Anything and everything about Thailand
Post Reply
User avatar
Undaunted
Posts: 2564
Joined: Fri Aug 12, 2016 8:47 am
Has thanked: 23 times
Been thanked: 368 times

Re: 13 Thais Missing during Caving Expedition

Post by Undaunted »

How to make money from this tragedy?..... Make it a musem!

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/ ... l/30349876
"In the land of the blind the one eyed man is king"
tree

Re: 13 Thais Missing during Caving Expedition

Post by tree »

An article about the legal status of the coach and 3 boys:

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/j ... e-citizens


The players Pornchai Kamluang, Adul Sam-on and Mongkhol Boonpiam, plus their coach, Ekaphol Chantawong, whose families come from northern Thailand’s porous and largely lawless border regions abutting Myanmar’s Shan state, are technically stateless and not considered citizens under Thai law, leaving them without many of the rights their teammates enjoy.

The three boys have Thai ID cards, which grant them some basic rights, but the coach has no legal status, making him vulnerable to deportation and technically ineligible to receive some public services.

[...]

“Under Thai law, stateless persons are still able to obtain some basic rights such as the right to education and access to health service. This is why some of these boys who are stateless are able to go to school, despite their status."

“Their rights are, however, limited in other areas – mainly the right to work and freedom of movement, as they need to seek permission to travel outside of their province and will also face difficulties applying for a passport.”

[...]

“If there is strong political will from high-ranking state officers, the process could hasten, and the boys would be able to get Thai nationality in short period of time,” said Kangkun.
thewayhelooks
Posts: 320
Joined: Tue Nov 17, 2015 4:40 pm
Been thanked: 58 times

Re: 13 Thais Missing during Caving Expedition

Post by thewayhelooks »

The mother of the youngest boy trapped in the cave said he had told her they only intended spending an hour in the cave.
However, a flash flood caused by heavy rain forced them to venture deeper inside the cave.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general ... recent_box
fountainhall

Re: 13 Thais Missing during Caving Expedition

Post by fountainhall »

Regardng the legal/nationality status of the three boys and their coach, despite the often porous nature of Thai law and its interpretation my guess is there will be an international outcry if they are not granted citizenship with the same rights as the other boys. At its most (well, almost) irrelevant, it would mean the Wiold Boars Team could not accept any of the invitations from the top overseas soccer teams. Those trips will be big events for the image of Thailand overseas by reminding everyone of the success of the Thai-led rescue mission. Even though the nationality issue will open another can of worms, I think 99.9% of Thai people will be in favour of such an action.
fountainhall

Re: 13 Thais Missing during Caving Expedition

Post by fountainhall »

thewayhelooks wrote:The mother of the youngest boy trapped in the cave said he had told her they only intended spending an hour in the cave.
However, a flash flood caused by heavy rain forced them to venture deeper inside the cave.
There will inevitably be a lot of conflicting stories until all the boys and their coach are out of hospital and can give the detailed facts of their ordeal. That Bangkok Post article illustrates one -

they did not take along any food or snacks after their football training session.
For 10 days we have been told by various sources that they did take snacks in to the cave because they were celebrating the birthday of one of the boys. We've also been told that once in their cave prison the coach shared his snacks amongst the boys and ate none himself.

A hugely minor point in relation to the overall success of the rescue. But let's not depend on snippets of information until those involved are fully recovered and can inform the public first hand.
Captain Swing
Posts: 230
Joined: Mon Aug 02, 2010 12:12 pm
Has thanked: 13 times
Been thanked: 43 times

Re: 13 Thais Missing during Caving Expedition

Post by Captain Swing »

It's been almost comical how so many of the reports we've received have conflicted. Snacks, no snacks; some can swim, none can swim; the doctor determined the order in which they came out, no the coach did; the weakest came out first, the strongest came out first; the boys were lightly sedated, they were drugged into unconsciousness, they were given mild anti-anxiety medication, and on and on. Ultimately, none of this really matters in light of the ultimate spectacular success of the rescue, so I don't think any of us really care. And I think the Thai authorities deserve considerable credit for keeping a tight lid on information and for protecting the families, and now the boys themselves, from the media. Also, they didn't over-promise, didn't give overoptimistic predictions--to me, this was another admirable aspect of the operation.
User avatar
Gaybutton
Posts: 21419
Joined: Sat Jul 31, 2010 11:21 am
Location: Thailand
Has thanked: 2 times
Been thanked: 1293 times

Re: 13 Thais Missing during Caving Expedition

Post by Gaybutton »

Captain Swing wrote:protecting the families, and now the boys themselves, from the media.
I believe the media has three priorities:

1. Get it first
2. Get it fast
3. Make sure it's accurate

Guess which one comes in last . . .
Captain Swing
Posts: 230
Joined: Mon Aug 02, 2010 12:12 pm
Has thanked: 13 times
Been thanked: 43 times

Re: 13 Thais Missing during Caving Expedition

Post by Captain Swing »

The New York Times has published its recap of the whole story, with some useful graphics and videos (not necessarily new). It's not the final word--I'm sure new details will still emerge--but it's a good summary and includes several details I hadn't heard before.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/12/worl ... seals.html
fountainhall

Re: 13 Thais Missing during Caving Expedition

Post by fountainhall »

Thank you Captain Swing for posting that New York Times article. As you pointed out there is so much there that we have not heard before. It makes the rescue even more amazing. How can anyone ever thank all those diving experts and Navy SEALS for their extraordinary planning and bravery, even though we know they all believed they were only doing their duty?

Image
Gilbert Gates, Denise Lu, Jugal E Patel/New York Times

As for the proposed Museum, when this was first mentioned I cringed. It seemed merely a TAT stunt. Yet the more I have thought about it, the more I agree that it should incorporate a Museum. Not only will it bring tourists to a part of Thailand which could no doubt do with the economic benefits that will bring - as long as it is done tastefully. It will, I trust, be both a factual reminder - as in that NYT article - of what happened, when it happened and just how complex and dangerous the whole project was, and it will let the world know how many were involved by listing their names.

Perhaps, too, the Museum or at least part of it will be named after Saman Gunan, the retired Navy SEAL who died. His family have already been provided funding from his employer, the AOT. I am sure there will be more so that they are all looked after for the rest of their lives. Thailand has promised he will not be forgotten. What better way to remind the world of his sacrifice by naming the Museum after him?
Captain Swing
Posts: 230
Joined: Mon Aug 02, 2010 12:12 pm
Has thanked: 13 times
Been thanked: 43 times

Re: 13 Thais Missing during Caving Expedition

Post by Captain Swing »

Forgive me for this. I am not in the least religious, and I am only a tiny bit intoxicated but I keep thinking of the following familiar Biblical verse. It just seems so appropriate:

"Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of the darkness. For he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children."

It's supposedly from the book of Ezekiel, but, alas, it was written by Quentin Tarantino for the screenplay of Pulp Fiction.
Post Reply