Thai cave rescue: how young coach kept 12 boys calm and safe
Ekaphol Chanthawong, 25, hailed as hero despite initial criticism for leading group into danger
All 12 of the boys rescued from a cave in Thailand “took care of themselves well” during their two weeks trapped underground, according to medical officers.
The last four of the young footballers and their 25-year-old Wild Boars team coach were carried out of the Tham Luang cave system on Tuesday, on the third and final day of what has been lauded as the “largest, most complex cave rescue in history”, Sky News says.
Particular praise has been heaped on the heroic actions of the coach, 25-year-old Ekaphol Chanthawong, who initially faced intense media scrutiny for leading the boys on their almost fatal excursion.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
“As the man who placed his 12 young charges in mortal danger by taking them deep into a mountain cave system, the young coach of the Wild Boars football team could easily have been cast as the villain of one of the greatest rescue stories of recent times,” The Daily Telegraph says.
Instead, Chanthawong’s selfless behaviour while trapped in the caves, in the northern province of Chiang Rai, has seen him “being hailed by relatives of the boys as the quiet hero of an adventure that so nearly ended in tragedy”, the newspaper reports.
When the boys were first found sitting in the dark more than a week ago by two British divers, they were meditating - something Chanthawong is well schooled in, thanks to his training as a Buddhist monk.
Chanthawong went to live in a monastery at the age of 12 after being orphaned, Vox reports. He trained to be a monk for ten years, but left to care for a sick grandmother.
According to the news site, he taught the team to meditate while in the cave on order to keep them calm and preserve their energy during their two-week ordeal.
He is also understood to have given the boys his, extremely limited, food rations.
Business Insider says that his care of the children is a “key reason” the boys’ parents may not press charges.
“At first, he got lots of blame,” Chatnarin Bumpenwattana, an associate lawyer at JTJB International Lawyers, told the site. “But the news appeared that he properly took care of the children and that he gave his food to the children, so there is not much anger against him right now.”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
5 ladylike cartoons about women's role in the election
Cartoons Artists take on the political gender gap, Lady Liberty, and more
By The Week US Published
-
The right to die: what can we learn from other countries?
The Explainer A look at the world's assisted dying laws as MPs debate Kim Leadbeater's proposed bill
By The Week Published
-
Volkswagen on the ropes: a crisis of its own making
Talking Point The EV revolution has 'left VW in the proverbial dust'
By The Week UK Published
-
Has the Taliban banned women from speaking?
Today's Big Question 'Rambling' message about 'bizarre' restriction joins series of recent decrees that amount to silencing of Afghanistan's women
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Cuba's energy crisis
The Explainer Already beset by a host of issues, the island nation is struggling with nationwide blackouts
By Rebekah Evans, The Week UK Published
-
Putin's fixation with shamans
Under the Radar Secretive Russian leader, said to be fascinated with occult and pagan rituals, allegedly asked for blessing over nuclear weapons
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Chimpanzees are dying of human diseases
Under the radar Great apes are vulnerable to human pathogens thanks to genetic similarity, increased contact and no immunity
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Deaths of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies hang over Sydney's Mardi Gras
The Explainer Police officer, the former partner of TV presenter victim, charged with two counts of murder after turning himself in
By Austin Chen, The Week UK Published
-
Quiz of The Week: 24 February - 1 March
Puzzles and Quizzes Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Will mounting discontent affect Iran election?
Today's Big Question Low turnout is expected in poll seen as crucial test for Tehran's leadership
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Sweden clears final NATO hurdle with Hungary vote
Speed Read Hungary's parliament overwhelmingly approved Sweden's accession to NATO
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published