Thai boys give a wave to the world in first video since their rescue

[snoop1130]

Thai boys give a wave to the world in first video since their rescue

By Panu Wongcha-um and Patpicha Tanakasempipat

 

 

CHIANG RAI, Thailand (Reuters) - The first video of the Thai boys rescued from a flooded cave after 17 days was released on Wednesday, showing them smiling and waving from their hospital beds, looking thin but fine after an ordeal that has gripped the world.

 

The last group of the 12-member "Wild Boars" soccer team and their coach was brought out of the Tham Luang cave, near the border with Myanmar, on Tuesday night, safely ending a dangerous rescue and evoking international relief and joy.

 

Rescue mission chief Narongsak Osottanakorn told a news conference the boys were just being children when they got lost and no one was to blame.

 

"We don't see the children as at fault or as heroes. They are children being children, it was an accident," Narongsak said.

 

A video of the boys in hospital was shown at the news conference. Some of them, wearing surgical masks, lay on their beds. Some sat and made the "peace sign" gesture for the camera.

 

None of the boys was heard speaking in the clips shown at the news conference.

 

 

The 12 boys and their soccer coach lost an average of 2 kg (4.4 lb) during their ordeal but were generally in good condition and showed no signs of stress, a senior health official said earlier.

 

After being brought out of the cave, one by one beginning on Sunday, they were taken by helicopter to hospital in the town of Chiang Rai, about 70 km (45 miles) away, to stay in quarantine.

 

The boys would have to stay in hospital for up to 10 days, hospital director Chaiwetch Thanapaisal told the news conference. They would then need to recuperate at home for 30 days, he said.

 

Parents of the first eight boys freed have been able to visit them but had to wear protective suits and stand 2 metres (7 feet) away as a precaution. Authorities are worried about the possibility of infections picked up in the cave.

 

Thongchai Lertwilairattanapong, a health department inspector, earlier told reporters one from the last group rescued on Tuesday had a lung infection and they were all given vaccinations for rabies and tetanus.

 

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha asked that the boys be given time to recover.

 

"The important thing is ... personal space," Prayuth told reporters. "The best way is not to bother them and let them study."

 

The group ventured into the vast cave complex in the northern province of Chiang Rai after soccer practice on June 23 and were trapped when a rainy season downpour flooded tunnels.

 

They were lost for nine days before British rescue divers discovered them on July 2, sitting on a ledge in a half-flooded chamber.

 

Getting them out - which involved teaching boys as young as 11 who were not strong swimmers to dive through narrow, submerged passages - proved a monumental challenge.

 

A former member of Thailand's navy SEAL unit died during a mission in the cave on Friday.

 

'NOT HEROES'

 

Narongsak, giving details of the rescue, said falling oxygen levels inside the cave complex had added a sense of urgency.

 

The commander of the navy SEAL unit that oversaw the rescue, Rear Admiral Apakorn Yuukongkaew, hailed the international effort.

 

"We are not heroes. This mission was successful because of cooperation from everyone," he said. "For SEALs, this is what we were trained for. The navy has a motto: 'We don't abandon the people'.

 

Official help came from Britain, the United States, Japan, Laos, Myanmar, China and Australia, a government document showed. There were volunteers from Denmark, Germany, Belgium, Canada, Ukraine and Finland.

 

The rescue has dominated front-page headlines in Thailand and beyond for days.

 

"Hooyah! Mission accomplished," read one headline, echoing the rallying cry of the SEAL unit.

 

The hashtag #Hooyah was hugely popular on social media with people showing their support for the hundreds of rescuers, including divers from around the world, who helped to get the boys out.

 

'SO STRONG'

 

The fate of the boys has even resonated as far as Russia, where soccer's World Cup is reaching its final stages. Players from France and England welcomed news of the rescue and sent their best wishes to the "Wild Boars" on Twitter.

 

"This victory goes to the heroes of the day, well done boys, you are so strong," French midfielder Paul Pogba tweeted after his team beat Belgium 1-0 on Tuesday to reach the final.

 

Manchester City and England defender Kyle Walker, whose team faces Croatia in the second semi-final later on Wednesday, said he wanted to send shirts to the boys.

 

"Amazing news that all of the Thai kids are out of the cave safely!" Walker tweeted.

 

A Google search on Tuesday for the words "Thai cave rescue" revealed 359 million results.

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-7-11

 

 

 

RELATED: Dramatic new footage of Tham Luang cave rescue released - watch it here

 

 

 

 

[vogie]

Wonderful. ???

[Hummin]

Noise makes them feel home again ?

[BEVUP]

9 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

"The best way is not to bother them and let them study."

& it might be good for moral if they let the kid who spoke with the first English diver to teach them some basics for an hr a day, so they know what went on 

[4MyEgo]

Great result, apart from the passing of the retired Navy seal diver who came back to help as a volunteer.

 

I hope now that the Thai's can put the same level of energy in reducing the road carnage.

 

I did say hope, because with no hope, you have just that, no hope. 

[evilebxxx]

1 hour ago, Hummin said:

Noise makes them feel home again ?

stateless. No nationality. No country," added Wild Boars' founder Nopparat.

[coulson]

1 hour ago, snoop1130 said:

Prayuth told reporters. "The best way is not to bother them and let them study."

Thanks Grandma, while you're at it, please do take heed of your own advice and don't bother them further

[Get Real]

Absolute wondergul and smashing news. It´s just lovely to see them.

[Wilsonandson]

The heros are the boys.

[Gecko123]

Wow! Sure wish my local government hospital looked like that!

[gk10002000]

I have not seen much reports or evidence of bats from that cave.  just an observation and comment about Bats being mammals, can carry rabies and a few other diseases and symptoms and pests related to bats.

[Mattd]

Nice to see, although I do wonder why they are being kept in isolation from their families, going by the video it isn't exactly a sterile environment, with open windows through to their families etc. sort of defeats the purpose surely?

[DILLIGAD]

Nice to see, although I do wonder why they are being kept in isolation from their families, going by the video it isn't exactly a sterile environment, with open windows through to their families etc. sort of defeats the purpose surely?

Maybe ‘sterile’ from press/photographers trying to make a quick baht???


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[gk10002000]

4 minutes ago, DILLIGAD said:

Maybe ‘sterile’ from press/photographers trying to make a quick baht???


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I am sure the Thais are trying to contain the information and actual details of the whys and wherefors of how they got into the situation in the first place.  Lots of law suits could be possible from this against many people and institutions.

[animalmagic]

26 minutes ago, gk10002000 said:

I have not seen much reports or evidence of bats from that cave.  just an observation and comment about Bats being mammals, can carry rabies and a few other diseases and symptoms and pests related to bats.

I am not on expert on bats but it would seem logical that bats would not populate a cave that is cut off from the outside world for periods of weeks or months.  From what I have observed they go out to feed every night.

[Easy Come Easy Go]

38 minutes ago, gk10002000 said:

I am sure the Thais are trying to contain the information and actual details of the whys and wherefors of how they got into the situation in the first place.  Lots of law suits could be possible from this against many people and institutions.

rightly so, someone died for pete sake 

[Mattd]

54 minutes ago, DILLIGAD said:

Maybe ‘sterile’ from press/photographers trying to make a quick baht???

Perhaps, but why keep their family away from them in that case, they haven't physically seen them for a long time and they must be hanging out to hug them.

At the end of the day, they cannot keep the children in isolation forever and the press will be waiting regardless, such is the modern age. I do agree that no one outside of their immediate families should be allowed in to the hospital.

[Mattd]

21 minutes ago, animalmagic said:

I am not on expert on bats but it would seem logical that bats would not populate a cave that is cut off from the outside world for periods of weeks or months.  From what I have observed they go out to feed every night.

I'm no expert either, but common sense dictates that Bats would not go so far in to a cave complex on purpose.

Again, no expert, just would have thought that the area they were in would have been reasonably clean apart from the water settled in the cave, they had the nous to drink the water that was seeping thorough the cave walls, which in theory would be clean after so much filtering.

[miamiman123]

“Let them study”???

[fullcave]

I hope their coach is doing okay, he meant well. He had a hard life and was only trying to help. Like a mother who sends her child to school mounted on the front of a motorbike and with no helmet, waving to the police directing traffic at the entrance, he had no awareness at the risk of death he was placing those children in. Poor guy, probably never even noticed the warning sign at the entrance as he was too busy with the children. 

[Jimdandy]

All praise to God

[DILLIGAD]

Perhaps, but why keep their family away from them in that case, they haven't physically seen them for a long time and they must be hanging out to hug them.
At the end of the day, they cannot keep the children in isolation forever and the press will be waiting regardless, such is the modern age. I do agree that no one outside of their immediate families should be allowed in to the hospital.

I read that the family have met up with love-ones in the hospital Ward dressed in sterile clothing/gloves etc.


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[billmichael]

4 hours ago, Get Real said:

Absolute wondergul and smashing news. It´s just lovely to see them.

 

3 hours ago, Wilsonandson said:

The heros are the boys.

Oh, Oh...!!!  I am so happy for them, too.  The situation could easily have turned very dark. 

My respects to the family of the retired Thai Navy Seal who volunteered and gave his life.

[Tug]

There they are the toughest boars I know!! Hope all you guys can receive a reward for what you have been through perhaps a scholarship or something like that GO BOARS!!!

[Mattd]

23 minutes ago, DILLIGAD said:

I read that the family have met up with love-ones in the hospital Ward dressed in sterile clothing/gloves etc.

My original comment was based from this video https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-44797035 which is the same as the topic one, just surprised to see the windows open at the end.

[Gazman1]

2 hours ago, Mattd said:

Nice to see, although I do wonder why they are being kept in isolation from their families, going by the video it isn't exactly a sterile environment, with open windows through to their families etc. sort of defeats the purpose surely?

For the uninitiated the room will be pressurised so air leaves the room and Weill not be taken in through the windows.  The doors have no air lock therefore air could come in if openned and room was not pressurised.  Air would be taken in from outside and filtered or alternatively they would be using liquid air from a tank somewhere on site.  Most hospitals in the western world have this.

Therefore they would be in a strerile environment and staff and visitors would be required to suit up when entering the room

[dundas]

I think there might be some interesting dynamics that the wild boars will have to deal now, and especially after they leave the hospital. 

 

• How they cope with all the attention (Hollywood producers interviewing them, offers of trips abroad etc), and various other gifts
• How the two boys not part of the cave group will be integrated back into the team that was in the cave, 12 are now famous and have been through an amazing bonding experience, the two who 'missed out' have none of this
• How the assistant coach (to use his formal title) and the actual coach (who wasn't in the cave) will sort through their leadership roles
• How the assistant coach will cope with his own feelings about having led the boys astray (no matter that others might have a much more positive view than has been ascribed to him)
• How the assistant coach will cope with teenage boys some of whom would have been about to fly off into the world anyway, caves or no caves, and  maybe now into a completely different future from what he or they ever expected. 
• The PTSD aspects of it
• Everyone's feelings about the death of the Thai Navy Seal

 

I think there's a lot more for them to deal with than even this list.

 

Maybe keeping them in hospital for a while is a great kindness psychologically speaking, not just from a purely medical point of view. 

 

I hope they get some expert help. Listening to the Chilean miners experience of unexpected fame might be a good place to start, but I think they need more than this. 

[Mattd]

3 minutes ago, Gazman1 said:

For the uninitiated the room will be pressurised so air leaves the room and Weill not be taken in through the windows.  The doors have no air lock therefore air could come in if openned and room was not pressurised.  Air would be taken in from outside and filtered or alternatively they would be using liquid air from a tank somewhere on site.  Most hospitals in the western world have this.

Therefore they would be in a strerile environment and staff and visitors would be required to suit up when entering the room

That does make some sense, thanks.

 

Still do not really understand the need for isolation though, apart from being over cautious, which I suppose is better than the opposite, have all the others that were in the same area being quarantined at all, especially the ones that were with them for the 8 days of so before the final rescue?

[lvr181]

2 hours ago, DILLIGAD said:

Maybe ‘sterile’ from press/photographers trying to make a quick baht???


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I think some reporters are more puerile than sterile. 

 

Good to see the boys smiling and hopefully properly re-united with their families ASAP. This adventure (scary) will likely remain in their memories for ever.

 

Sorry to hear that some are 'stateless' persons, now is the time for Thailand to step up to the plate and grant citizenship to those who live in Thailand.

 

BTW - Where has the head (Somyot Poompanmoung) of the Football Association of Thailand been hiding - no word from him the whole time? These boys play his sport!

[Gazman1]

10 minutes ago, Mattd said:

That does make some sense, thanks.

 

Still do not really understand the need for isolation though, apart from being over cautious, which I suppose is better than the opposite, have all the others that were in the same area being quarantined at all, especially the ones that were with them for the 8 days of so before the final rescue?

With depleted immune systems it is more of a worry what they will catch from those outside rather than what they may have themselves although this would also be monitored.  Give they have windows open that allows air coming from them to the outside world it is most likely they are protecting the boys from picking up an infection