Boys freed from cave doing well in hospital

CHIANG RAI, Thailand — The 12 boys and their soccer coach rescued from a flooded cave in northern Thailand are recovering well and are eager to eat their favorite comfort foods after their expected discharge from a hospital this week.

In video messages of the boys shown at a news conference Saturday, they are seen wearing surgical masks, a safeguard against infection that’s been taken since the last of them were pulled from the Tham Luang cave Tuesday, ending their 18-day ordeal.

Public Health Minister Dr. Piyasakol Sakolsattayatorn, who led the news conference at Chiang Rai Prachanukroh Hospital, said all 13 — the boys, who range in age from 11-16, and their 25-year-old coach — are expected to be discharged from the hospital Thursday.

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 a fist. One of the 14-year-olds, Ekarat Wongsukchan, whose nickname is Biw, playfully raised his two arms in a boxer’s victory stance as laughter was heard in the background.

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.

Adul Samon, a 14-year-old sent to Thailand for schooling by his ethnic minority parents across the border in Burma, 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.”

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 post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, the statement said.

The sole fatality of the rescue operation, former Thai navy SEAL Petty Officer Saman Gunan, was granted a posthumous promotion to lieutenant commander by King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun and given the royal decoration of Knight Grand Cross (first class) of the Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant, the SEALs said Saturday on their Facebook page.

Saman, 38, was a volunteer who was replacing oxygen canisters along the route to where the boys were sheltering to make divers’ hours-long passage possible. He died on July 6 while diving. According to some officials, his own oxygen supply ran out.

The former SEAL is being honored as a national hero, and his cremation ceremony was held Saturday in his home northeastern province of Roi Et.