Thai cave boys list food wishes in new video... and KFC is top

The 12 Thai boys who were safely rescued after being trapped in a flooded cave for 17 days alongside their football coach are eager to be released from hospital and eat their favourite comfort foods. In a new video, the boys express their thanks to their rescuers, and list the things they want to eat on their expected discharge from hospital next week. The boys, who range in age from 11 to 16, and their 25-year-old coach were all rescued from the Tham Luang cave in the north of the country in a treacherous mission by divers last Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. The daring operation captivated the minds and hearts of people all over the world. Former Thai Navy SEAL Saman Kunan, 38, was the only casualty of the mission. In the video, which was shown at a news conference at Chiang Rai Prachanukroh Hospital yesterday, the boys are shown wearing surgical masks to safeguard against infection. Public Health Minister Dr. Piyasakol Sakolsattayatorn, who led the news conference, said the 13 were all expected to be discharged from the hospital on Thursday. The doctor said that the ‘physical bodies’ of all 12 boys and their coach ‘are strong, and fit’. ‘Through the medical evaluations in the first days there may be some of them that had minor pneumonia, but now all [that] is cleared – [there is] no fever,’ he said. Several were earlier reported to be recovering from minor lung and middle ear infections. Most of the boys, who were shown in their hospital beds, looked relaxed, and began their brief statements with a ‘wai,’ the traditional Thai greeting of hands raised to chest level with palms together. A few also gave the two-finger victory sign and raised their right fists. One of the 14-year-olds, Ekarat Wongsukchan, whose nickname is Biw, playfully raised his arms in a boxer’s victory stance as laughter was heard in the background. ‘Hello, my name is Biw, I am fine. I want to say thanks to everyone that worried,’ he said. All 13 offered thanks for the support they’ve been given. While they’ve been in hospital the boys have only able to eat simple, soft, plain food such as rice porridge, so as not to shock their digestive systems after 10 days spent without food. Asked by an off-camera interviewer what they were looking forward to eating, their wish list included slow-cooked pork leg with steamed rice, fried crispy pork, roasted red pork, sushi, steak and KFC. Sompong Jaiwong, ‘Pong’, said: ‘Thank you everyone from around the globe for helping us. ‘I’m healthy. I like to east basil pork with a fried egg.’ Adul Sam-on, a stateless 14-year-old sent to Thailand for schooling by his ethnic minority parents across the border in Myanmar, spoke in Thai and then in English: ‘Hello, I am Adul. Now I am very fine. I am very thank you so heavy, thank you so much.’ Adul said: ‘I’m better. I’d like to have KFC. Adul is perhaps the best known of the boys because he was the one speaking English in the video taken inside the cave when the team members were first found by two British cave divers on 2 July, nearly 10 days after being trapped by flooding. In the video from the hospital, he holds up a piece of paper, which shows a drawing of his teammates, whom he points out one by one. Duangphet Premthep, aka ‘Dom’ said: ‘I’m healthy. Thank you for [your] help. ‘I like to have rice with stewed pork leg.’ Nattawut Takhamsai – ‘Tle’ – said: ‘I’m healthy. I like to have crispy pork fried with basil. Thank you.’ Pipat Phothi, ‘Nick’, said: ‘Thank you. I’m OK. I like to have rice with roast red pork and crispy pork.’ The youngest boy, 11-year-old Chanin Wiboonrungruang, who has been nicknamed Titan, gave special thanks to the Navy Seals and asked for sushi. Peerapat Sompiangjai – ‘Nite’ – asked for pork barbecue, while Panumas Saengdee – ‘Mick’ – said he wanted pork fried with basil. Coach Ekkapol Chantawong thanked the Thai prime minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, the Navy Seals, doctors and other agencies. He stated his desire to eat ‘normal food’ – including ‘east fried rice with crispy pork.’ The boys have been speaking to psychologists following their ordeal, and Piyasakol said their mental health is ‘good today’. ‘Even though they are about to leave in the days ahead…they aren’t as strong as a normal person, they still need to rest and improve their health, and body,’ he said. A hospital statement said the boys remain susceptible to infectious disease. To avoid mental stress, they should spend at least the next month only with family and friends, avoiding media encounters that might trigger symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the statement said.