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THIS AFTERNOON, THE 12 Thai schoolboys who had been trapped underground in a flooded cave complex in the north of the country were finally rescued.
Also freed at the same time was Ekapol Chanthawong, the boys’ soccer coach, who had first led them into the Tham Luang complex following a game on 23 June with the apparent goal of their signing their names on a cave wall as part of an initiation ritual.
It was Chanthawong’s first time looking after the boys by himself, according to the Washington Post who spoke to his head coach.
25-year-old Chanthawong coaches the younger of the Moo Pa (Wild Boars) soccer teams in Mae Sai, northern Thailand. Head coach Noppart Khanthavong told him to bring some of the boys from the older team to help him in his custodial role, hence the range of ages among the trapped students, according to a Facebook post.
The coach’s actions have led him to become the focus of the world’s media. In bringing the boys over two miles deep into the cave complex, whereupon the group was trapped by sudden heavy rainfall, he kickstarted a humanitarian story that gripped the world for over two weeks.
The story is also one with a happy ending, making it all the rarer in a news cycle not overly given to sentiment.
But, in western media, scepticism as to what the coach was doing leading the boys into the complex in the first place is rife (the entrance to the caves is clearly marked with warnings regarding exploring so close to monsoon season).
Not so in Thailand, where the man is seen as the boys’ protector. A popular Thai cartoon depicts him as sitting cross-legged, like a monk, with 12 little boars in his arms.
Chanthawong himself is in actuality a former apprentice monk, having left his vocation three years ago and begun working with the Wild Boars soon after.
Local media suggests that he was among the weakest in the group towards the end, having sacrificed what supplies he had in order to keep his charges strong, together with teaching the boys how to meditate in order to conserve their energy throughout the ordeal.
When letters from the boys were returned to the surface by divers who had made contact, the coach wrote a letter of his own, apologising to parents for their boys’ ordeal.
“I promise to take the very best care of the kids,” he wrote. “I want to say thanks for all the support, and I want to apologise.”
The mother of one boy, Pornchai Khamluang, told Thai television that she would “never blame” Chanthawong for what had happened.
“If he didn’t go with them, what would have happened to my child?” she said.
When he comes out, we have to heal his heart.
Chanthawong is himself reportedly an orphan whose parents died when he was 10.
Having trained to be a monk, he left his monastery in order to care for his ill grandmother in Mae Sai, before taking up his position with the junior soccer team, many of whose members are themselves from impoverished backgrounds or are ethnic minorities without a nationality of their own.
Thai legal sources told Business Insider, meanwhile, that there is little chance of Chanthawong being sanctioned legally for his actions.
“He loved them more than himself,” Joy Khampai, a friend of Chanthawong’s and worker at the Mae Sai monastery, told the Washington Post.
He doesn’t drink, he doesn’t smoke. He was the kind of person who looked after himself and who taught the kids to do the same.
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He kept the kids alive for that he’s a hero
@Darren Farrell: Agree totally
Looks like other people in the club and Parents knew they were going to the Caves. From reports it was done before and was considered normal for the team
But whatever the reasons why they went down there, if it was not for him the outcome may have been very different and the parents have said near enough the same thing. He did a great job along with the rescuers. Great work by all and again, thoughts to the diver who lost his life doing what these people do when push comes to shove
@Darren Farrell: there’s a story that the boys went in on the own and when they didn’t return the coach went to look for them and found the bikes outside the cave. He went in to help get them out and stayed with them when he couldn’t get them out bcos of the water. He’s a hero. Typical western media, full of ..it
@Eamonn Connaghan: I looked this up, interesting, but I think it was the head coach who went looking when some team members were un-contactable about a match that evening.. and it was the head coach, Nopparat Khanthavong, who found the bicycles beside the cave entrance but the junior coach, Ekapol Chanthawong, seems to have been with the boys – but that does not make him any less a hero whichever side you read it – the story here is not quite clear did the junior coach follow the boys as he had been advised “Make sure you ride your bicycle behind them when you are travelling around, so you can keep a lookout,” – so there is certainly a good chance that he did not lead them regardless..
and have we not to rescue people every other week it seems, in Ireland, caught by the rising tides or other events….. still a hero no matter how it started
Fear of liability is one of the reasons why we have a growing problem with childhood obesity. Mr Chanthawong is a volunteer who kindly gave his spare time to help kids less fortunate than himself. At 25 the man is practically a child himself. I know when I was 25 I was probably passed out drunk somewhere rather than spend my Saturday mornings helping kids. He’s a hero.
@BlueSkyThinking:
Excellent point
@BlueSkyThinking: Fear of liability and the hours of garda vetting forms, child protection training, risk assessments, sports training and possibly first aid training to give up your own time to help other people’s kids. But then people who would never do anything can sit back and critize you.
The coach is an absolute hero!
He ration his supplies to help the kids alive instead of eating it himself he did a great job keeping the alive in darkness and water without him they won’t have survived (there will be critics saying he shouldn’t do that or this but maybe put them in a cave for 2 weeks and see what mental and physical properties it takes
The caves are used by kids all the time from the local area. It’s kinda like a place that they date each other to go into. The monsoon came a little early than expected.
Bunch of teenagers would of gone in there with or without the coach. They only survived because of his guidance under pressure. Plenty of armchair critics
@Anthony Healy: * dare, not date
@Anthony Healy: Oh I liked “date” better…. but thank you for the clarification — we do forget all the “silly” things we did as youngsters… “silly” in quotes because that are not silly really – without “adventure” the human race would get nowhere
Our politicians leave our children live on our streets and we re-elect them. Imagine an Irish politician minding those children. A TD would be first out of the cave.
@Cranky: a TD would have left them to it to fend for themselves!
@Cranky: please enlighten us as to how many children are left to live on our streets?
@offtheball: surely the number is only on the dozens, disregarding the thousands on the homeless list of course
@Cranky: yawn
He’s a good man who put the kids first. Hopefully he gets over this.
All is well that ends well.thank god.
@Braonain Proinseas: A man died trying to rescue them. It didn’t end well
@Kal Ipers: agreed.
Poor judgement to lead the group that deep in during the monsoon season and apparently there is warnings.
However it was heroic how he lead the group once trapped.
Can’t ignore that his error did lead to one death though.
@Kal Ipers: yes tragic and I’m very sorry, but I think my point was all the children got out safely.
@Lad_The: he led them so far in because they couldn’t get out because of the flash flooding!
@Simone Rapple: fair enuff if that’s true. I stand corrected.
@Lad_The: let’s wait and see the exact circumstances. There’s a lot of speculation around.
Typical western media
Thank god the children and coach survived and for the bravery of the rescuers-a good news story for a change
@Ger Foley: can’t agree Ger – the family of the dead man won’t see it as a good news story.
@offtheball: I’d be nearly sure you’re wrong. They like the rest of Thailand would have been praying for the safety of those boys and while I’m sure they’re not happy are probably able to take some consolation in their loss. When also taking into account he was retired military in a country regularly rocked by rebellions and border skirmishes it may be a loss they’d been prepared for for some time. Just speculating of course.
@Sweet George:
The writers can write anything, I’m sure none of the writers ever had the chance to hear it first hand from any of the 13 on who led whom or who followed whom. So I would read the article with a pinch of salt. But to judge him unfit to be in charge of the children while you never knew him is harsh. It was an unfortunate event when something out of norm to them (exploring the cave) turned to be so wrong. Because monsoon came early this year. But he has tried his best to keep the children alive. Look at how mentally strong and calm the children are when they were found. Experts expected them to take weeks to be strong enough to get out of there but they took only days that shows they were not broken. You have to give credit to that young man for doing a good job being their protector.
Media hoping he would make it out alive so they can slaughter him!
That cartoon is definitely inspired by the ribenaad.
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