Boys trapped in Thai cave make first public appearance
THE 12 boys and their soccer coach who were rescued from a cave in northern Thailand appeared at a news conference, entering to applause from the media and classmates.
The boys put on a quick demonstration of their ball-handling skills in a special miniature soccer field set up in the hall where they met the media yesterday. They then hugged their friends before taking seats up front with doctors and others who helped them during their ordeal.
Doctors took the first two questions, and said the 13 were healthy in body and mind. Doctors said the boys gained around 3 kilograms (6.6 pounds) on average since they were rescued from the cave last week. They were said to have lost an average of 4 kilograms (9 pounds) during the more than two weeks they were trapped in the cave. Interest in the saga is unlikely to abate, with film production houses already eyeing a Hollywood treatment of the drama. Doctors have advised families of the players, aged 11 to 16, that they should avoid letting them contact journalists for at least one month. Though the boys and coach are said to be in good mental and physical health, they will be provided with additional psychological monitoring to detect lingering trauma.
The daring Thai-led international effort to rescue the team captivated the world after the football team walked into the cave on June 23 and were trapped by rising floodwaters. After nine days without a steady supply of food or water they were found emaciated and huddled in a group on a muddy ledge by British divers several kilometers inside Tham Luang. Rescuers debated the best plan to bring them out, but ultimately decided on a risky operation that involved diving them through waterlogged passages, while they were sedated to keep them calm and carrying them out in military-grade stretchers. Not even the foreign cave diving specialists who took part were sure the mission would work, and many expressed relief when it was all over after the final five were rescued on July 10.