Do or die in Chiang Rai
THE different ways of seeing things — Eastern and Western — were on display as foreign media tried to push Thai rescue leaders on what would have happened had one of the main pumps draining the cave, which stopped working just as the last of the 13 Wild Boars and the divers exited, failed just a few hours earlier.
There were still up to 100 workers in chambers two and three of the Tham Luang cave, where the base camps were located, when the pump gave out. Water started rising, noticeably, sending them hurtling to the cave’s entrance in a kind of semi-panic.
“What would have happened if the pump had failed earlier?” asked a Western journalist.
The military chiefs and governor shifted on their seats, looking at each other. The Buddhist philosophy on worry is that it is pointless, and they weren’t about to start now. The boys were safe, weren’t they?
Rear Admiral Apakorn Youkongkaew shrugged. “Well, the pump did fail,” he said. “But we had a back-up plan. And everyone was out of the cave by then. Try to look at it as like a big moment at the end of an action movie — it was exciting.”
It was a ripping script, from start to finish. So much so that the Australian Federal Police media guy in Chiang Rai said he was being harangued day and night by Hollywood types looking to sign up Adelaide anaesthetist Dr Richard Harris, 53, the heroic cave-diving doctor who is a natural for the lead character.
He said they are offering “serious money”, but the AFP is not a casting agency and Dr Harris, who has worked in documentaries filming in the depths of caves for National Geographic, is hardly in the mood for such considerations after the sad passing of his 88year-old father James, just as the rescue came to its improbable conclusion.
Besides, Dr Harris believes the real heroes are the Wild Boars soccer team, the 12 boys who with their junior coach entered the Tham Luang cave on June 23 on a post-game excursion, only to find themselves probing too deep and caught by rising waters.
Dr Harris told Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull: “They’re the toughest blokes and kids I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet. They’re the ones who were responsible for their own morale and really their own safety. And without them being in the state they’re in we couldn’t have done anything — so that’s where all the credit really lies.”
We still don’t know whether the Wild Boars’ second coach, Ekkapon ‘Ake’ Chantawongse, 25, holds any blame for leading the boys into the cave. Entering Tham Luang is not of itself a problem, if you remain in the huge initial amphitheatre. But something took them deeper, where they found they could not turn back.
But just like the failed pump, it is not something the Thais are dwelling on. They are enjoying the moment. “The children should not be blamed for the incident,” said Governor Narongsak Osotthanakorn, who became the face of the rescue. “Are they villains or heroes? We think they’re just little kids, doing kids’ stuff, and accidents happen.”
boys’ abandoned bikes looked to tell a terrible tale. Parents wept. A local soothsayer reportedly declared them all dead while another said, no, they’re all alive.
The Thais moved into action, deploying the Royal Navy SEALs. Meanwhile, in countries around the world, people who thought they could offer genuine help were stirring and thinking about getting to the scene.
“The first day we were called upon we started searching at 4am,” said Rear Admiral Apakorn. There was no point worrying about the time of day — everything was always dark in the cave. They walked and special breed known as spelunkers — those who live to explore the world’s subterranean caverns.
“We analysed and discussed how we were going to help these kids,” said Capt Anan. “We found our strengths and got the greatest divers in the world to come and help us.”
British cave divers Rick Stanton and John Volanthen had arrived. Oxygen tanks were placed along the route so they could conduct an explo-
boys were anxious to get home, but the British divers had to make the agonising decision to leave them on the ledge. “Many, many people are coming,” they were told.
Back at chamber three, Captain Anan knew he had to send the boys food, water and foil blankets — not to mention the comfort of company — fast. He sent in four Thai SEALs.
The Brits had travelled swiftly to and from base camp Saman Kunan had perished, losing oxygen while returning from the ledge.
“We will remember him as a hero,” said Governor Narongsak. “We used his determination to push through and make this a success.”
was no turning back. “Oxygen was decreasing and the kids were becoming drowsy,” said Rear Admiral Apakorn. “What were we to do? We had such time constraints. Finally, we got a plan from the international divers. I’m so glad. We approved it.”
It involved placing hundreds of oxygen cylinders and a guide rope along the route, along with pulleys to transport the tanks for some of the journey.
It was not especially scientific: it was desperate. The early talk of the kids spending “months” in the cave was no longer viable. They had to move, fast. Governor Narongsak declared Sunday, July 8, to be “D-Day”. The extraction was on.
Dr Harris, Lt-Col Park and two other Thai SEALs were sent in to clear the first four boys for travel. That involved Dr Harris giving a mild anxiolytic sedative so the boys, most of whom could not swim, did not panic.
They would wear fully contained wetsuits and face masks, with no mouthpiece, meaning they were fully relaxed as they were transported to safety. By now, three core pump teams were working overtime, draining and diverting millions of litres from the cave.
The daily forecasts were for heavy rain. And it was falling, but not as much as the forecasts had predicted. The locals were not surprised by this. They felt that a bigger hand was helping out.
The rescue of the first four boys on Sunday was first known to the world by various spies in the cave tipping off media, but best of all by a digital portal known as MThai, which had the full inside running and was always accurate.
They revealed the boys coming out one-by-one by posting the words “Ood … Ood … Ood … Ood”. That’s Thai for “oink”. The little boars were coming out.
On Monday afternoon, another four oinks. The extraction had moved much faster than the previous day as the rescuers learned in real-time how to streamline their operation. The following day things moved even faster.
Eventually, over the three days, there would be 12 oinks followed by a message to denote that the final Boar was out, on Tuesday afternoon: “Hello coach Ake,” it read. The second miracle. Jubilation hit northern Thailand and, only moments later, the planet. For once, humanity was on the same page. Everyone wanted this. And it was delivered.
How will Hollywood ever hope to match the true emotion and drama.