Widow of laureate freed from arrest
A DARING rescue mission in the treacherous confines of a flooded cave in Thailand has saved 12 boys and their football coach, who were trapped deep within the labyrinth.
The rescue operation ended an 18-day ordeal that claimed the life of an experienced volunteer diver and riveted people around the world.
Cheers erupted at a local government office where dozens of volunteers and journalists were awaiting news of whether the intricate and high-risk rescue mission had succeeded, as helicopters taking the boys to hospital roared overhead.
Thailand’s navy Seals, who were central to the rescue effort, said on their Facebook page that the remaining four boys and their 25-year-old coach were all brought out safely on Tuesday.
Eight of the boys were rescued by a team of 18 Thai and international divers on Sunday and Monday. Seven divers in the rescue team were from the UK, including Rick Stanton and John Volanthen, who were the first to reach the group last week.
“We are not sure if this is a miracle, a science, or what. All the thirteen Wild Boars are now out of the cave,” the Seals said, referring to the name of the boys’ football team. “Everyone is safe.”
A medic and three Seals who had stayed with the boys in their dark refuge deep inside the cave complex have also come out.
Payap Maiming, 40, who helped provide food and necessities to rescue workers and journalists, said a “miracle” had happened.
“I’m happy for Thais all over the country, for the people of Mae Sai, and actually just everyone in the world because every news channel has presented this story and this is what we have been waiting for,” she said.
“It’s really a miracle. It’s hope and faith that has brought us this success.”
The plight of the boys and their coach has captivated Thailand and much of the world – from the heartbreaking news that they were missing to the first flickering video of the huddle of anxious yet smiling boys when they were found 10 days later by the British divers.
They were trapped in the Tham Luan Nang Non cave on June 23, when they were exploring it after football practice and it became flooded by monsoon rains.
The eight boys brought out by divers on Sunday and Monday were doing well and were in good spirits, a senior health official said. They were given a treat on Tuesday: bread with chocolate spread that they had requested.
The widow of Chinese Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo has been freed from house arrest and left for Berlin.
The release of Liu Xia, who has never been charged with any crime, is the result of years of campaigning by Western governments and activists and comes just days before the oneyear anniversary of the death of dissident Liu Xiaobo while he was serving a prison sentence for inciting subversion.
Liu Xia’s brother Liu Hui wrote on a social media site: “Sister has already left Beijing for Europe at noon to start her new life.”