13 Thais Missing during Caving Expedition

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fountainhall

Re: 13 Thais Missing during Caving Expedition

Post by fountainhall »

Gaybutton wrote:I would think the boys would be far more appreciative of a trip to Disneyland than they would be about meeting Trump.
Totally agree. Wait for the Japanese or Chinese to issue an invitation for them to visit the Tokyo or Shanghai Disneylands.
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Re: 13 Thais Missing during Caving Expedition

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Re: 13 Thais Missing during Caving Expedition

Post by lvdkeyes »

CBS has reported all 12 boys and the coach are out of the cave.
tree

Re: 13 Thais Missing during Caving Expedition

Post by tree »

So many pictures of ambulances. Is pressure on journalism to publish anything that high?
tree

Re: 13 Thais Missing during Caving Expedition

Post by tree »

The guardian confirms: all 13 out!
4 heroes still in the cave.
fountainhall

Re: 13 Thais Missing during Caving Expedition

Post by fountainhall »

Amazing! Amazing! What a stunning day! I don’t know about other members, but I feel emotionally so elated.

The fact that these boys survived physically and it seems emotionally during those ten dark and seemingly desperate days, that they could then be strong enough to tackle that route out of the cave after yet another six and more days underground, the stoicism of the families, the supreme skill of all the divers and the medical personnel at the cave, the outstanding level of local and international co-operation, the cheerfulness of the volunteers, the leadership of this disparate team – all have exemplified humankind at its best. And every single one of them is a hero in my book.

I hope the boys are now given all the time and space they need with their friends and families to get fully fit again, recover from this ordeal and get back to some sort of normal life. They will be hounded by the media for interviews and no doubt someone will be working on a book. This is where friends and their communities can band together to assist them gain as much privacy as possible.

In our gratitude let’s not forget the diver who sacrificed his life. He will be rightly honoured.

At a time when we are bombarded daily with mostly depressing news, what a joy that celebrations of this rescue will fill the world’s news columns and programmes with such a positive story.
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Re: 13 Thais Missing during Caving Expedition

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Hooyah!
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Re: 13 Thais Missing during Caving Expedition

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What a miraculous rescue operation! All safely out of the cave and all now receiving treatment.

The sad news is the diver who died during the rescue operation.

I hope all involved, boys, coach, parents, rescuers, and even the rice farmers who lost their crops due to the water pumping, have a quick full recovery, both physically and psychologically. For some, that may be a long, difficult road, but at least they're all alive and safe to face whatever comes next for them.

I also hope the rescuers and everyone who was there helping, ranging from people making food to delivery people, all receive top honors.


fountainhall

Re: 13 Thais Missing during Caving Expedition

Post by fountainhall »

A very touching and moving Opinion piece in The Guardian that sums up so much of what so many people now feel.
Sometimes all other news seems irrelevant. The Thai boys and their coach are out. They are rescued. It’s been heart-in-mouth stuff for days, but finally the Wild Boars and their young coach are free and, God knows, I am in bits and overawed at this rescue effort – at the pure unflashy heroism of these divers. The world has watched and prayed for the lost boys.

To be trapped underground as dark water rises is the stuff of nightmares. To enter willingly into these cavities and squeeze through in order to take in food and medicine and finally to free these boys is courageous beyond belief. In the end, oxygen is what mattered, and in taking in oxygen for the boys, one man lost his life, not having left enough for himself. Saman Kunan died trying to save the lives of others. We must not forget him.

The world has been waiting, collectively holding its breath, not daring to hope, in case this rescue effort could not save all of them. The news that the boys had been found at all promoted all sorts of speculation about how they might be got out. Drilling down? What about the coming rains?

Most of us could not understand, or even imagine, the conditions in the caves, never mind how to slither through gaps in the rocks of 40cm (16in). Removing an oxygen tank to get through tunnels that most of us could scarcely fit through in blackness seems hellish and scarcely plausible. But they did it, and they knew when and how to do it.

When I say they, I mean this fantastically well coordinated team of Thai Navy Seals and international cave divers who came forward to help. Experts: who needs them? These are people we had never heard of, who say quietly that this is what they do, that all these years of diving have prepared them for this rescue. People who cross continents to save children. People who have had to think about how to keep these children mentally and physically strong enough to pull them out. People who have brought dead bodies out of caves before. And yet back in they go.

This story touches us because it is elemental, but also because every detail runs counter to the egomania and selfishness and fake bravado that appears to be running the world. The parents of the boys wrote to reassure the young coach that they didn’t blame him. Some say he had got the boys meditating in the cave. The Thai government has calmly insisted on protecting the boys and their families from cameras. This story has so far been bigger online than on TV, as there has been nothing much to see except ambulances and helicopters, and the odd glimpse of the exhausted face of “a frog” as they called the divers.

Thai locals set up charcoal grills to feed people. The boys first out are now asking for proper food. The need to nourish speaks to us all. Then the light relief of the grandstanding Elon Musk sending a tiny submarine.

And now all of us simply give thanks that they are free. As the world fragments, here good people have got it together. The boys will still need much help. I know that trauma does not evaporate with news coverage. But what we have seen was not a random act of kindness but a model of international cooperation and coordinated selflessness. This is how human beings can be, and it has been magnificent.

The boys have been freed by bravery, incredible expertise and a word that I am scrabbling for and can now, finally, use: love.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... ys-bravery
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Re: 13 Thais Missing during Caving Expedition

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There are people to thank right here on this board too. I wish to thank everyone who participated in keeping us updated and informed throughout this ordeal.

And it's not over yet. There are bound to be many more stories about what happens next, the physical and mental health of the boys, the families, and more. We'll keep you informed about that too as information comes in.

In my opinion, ideally now that they have all been saved I think it would be best for them if the world would just leave them alone now and let them return to their normal lives as best as they can. The last thing they need now is Paparazzi plaguing their lives. They have all suffered and have been through enough. But I think we all know it's highly unlikely to happen that way.
_______________________________

Cave mission officially accomplished

July 10, 2018

MAE SAI, Chiang Rai: The chief of the Tham Luang mission officially announced Tuesday night that the rescue of all 13 people trapped in a cave was accomplished and the restoration of the area would follow.

Rescue operation chief Narongsak Osotthanakorn told a press conference at the Pong Pha tambon administration organisation near Tham Luang cave at about 9.30pm that the last group of five trapped people was extracted and a doctor and three divers who had been with the 13 people since their discovery already reached the main entrance of the cave.

"The promise this morning that the nine people would leave the cave has been fulfilled," Mr Narongsak said to a big applause.

He said Tuesday's extraction mission involved about 100 people including 12 divers and an Australian doctor. All the five trapped people extracted Tuesday were already at Chiangrai Prachanukroh Hospital for examination and treatments. Their families were able to see them through glass windows at the hospital right away.

Mr Narongsak and other senior officials in the mission expressed gratitude towards His Majesty the King and the royal family; local and international rescue personnel, relevant organisations, volunteers and local and international supporters for the success. They also thanked the media for their cooperation to facilitate the rescue.

About 10,000 people had worked efficiently and effectively in the rescue mission over 17 days, Mr Narongsak said.

He and Jongkhlai Worapongsathon, deputy director-general of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, also called late Petty Officer 1st class Saman Gunan, who died in the rescue mission a "Tham Luang hero".

"We have done what no one expected we could... The mission is successful thanks to the power of love. I would like to see the love and cooperation over the past 17 days continue for the sake of national development," he said.

Lessons would be drawn from the incident so that children would know how to save themselves while being on tours and future rescue missions would be effective under such circumstances, he said.

All organisations taking part in the rescue mission would elaborate on their rescue operations in another press conference at the same place Wednesday night, Mr Narongsak said.

Twelve local footballers aged 11-16 and their 25-year-old coach had visited Tham Luang cave in the Tham Luang Khun Nam Nang Non Forest Park in Mae Sai district after their regular practice on June 23. Flooding in the cave had trapped them since. Rescuers found them deep in the cave on July 2.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/genera ... complished
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