Thai boys leave hospital, speak to media
CHIANG RAI, Thailand — The 12 Thai boys and their soccer coach rescued from a flooded cave made their first public appearance on Wednesday when they held a nationally-televised news conference in Chiang Rai.
The boys, aged 11 to 16, and their 25-year-old coach sparked an international rescue effort after they became trapped inside the flooded Tham Luang cave complex in Chiang Rai.
The “Wild Boars” soccer team had been in hospital in Chiang Rai since they were rescued. They were discharged one day earlier than formerly announced and looked healthy and happy as they answered questions about their ordeal.
The Thai government alloted 45 minutes’ airtime for the team’s news conference.
The boys, who sported crisp haircuts, had gained an average of 3 kilograms each since the rescue, and ran through confidence-building exercises ahead of Wednesday’s event, the hospital director said at the news conference.
Adul Sam-on, 14, one of the 12 boys, said the moment they were found by British divers was a “miracle”.
The team said they had no food at all until they were found deep in the complex, surviving only on water that dripped down the side of the cave.
The team’s youngest member, Titan, said: “I had no strength. I tried not to think about food so I didn’t get more hungry.”
Authorities had hoped that by holding the question and answer session before they head home, it will satisfy the huge interest in their story.
The public relations department in Chiang Rai province had solicited questions from news outlets in advance and they were forwarded to psychiatrists for screening.
Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha urged media earlier on Wednesday to be “cautious in asking unimportant questions” that could cause unspecified damage.
“Today everything is already good, including the perception in foreign countries,” he told reporters in Bangkok. “Nothing is better than this so we should not make it get worse.”
Doctors have advised families of the boys that they should avoid letting them contact journalists for at least one month after they are discharged.
Though they and their coach are all said to be in good mental and physical health, health officials had said that additional psychological monitoring will be provided to detect lingering trauma.
The rescue effort drew global media attention and hundreds of journalists, many of whom left after it wrapped up, but excitement picked up again in the usually sleepy town of Chiang Rai ahead of the boys’ much-anticipated appearance.
“The reporters are back. I had to pick up a Japanese reporter from the airport at 2 am,” said tour operator Manop Netsuwan.
A cartoon of the group with its rescuers, captioned, “Our Heroes”, was displayed on a welcome screen at the airport.
As for their future plans, several of the boys said they wanted to be soccer players, with some saying they would like to become Thai Navy SEALs.