Twelve young Thai boys whose rescue from a flooded cave complex gripped the world have marked the anniversary of their ordeal with a religious ceremony.
Members of the Wild Boars football team took part in a Buddhist ceremony marking one year since the start of their ordeal before speaking at a news conference.
Many of the boys — now aged 12-17 — say they still dream of becoming professional football players, while others say they want to become navy Seals like those who took part in their rescue.
The boys and their coach were lost in a cave in northern Thailand for nine nights before being found. It took another eight days for them all to make it out safe. The youngsters went in to explore before rain-fed floodwaters pushed them deep inside the dark complex.
On Sunday, the 12 boys marked the anniversary with a commemorative marathon in northern Thailand.
Around 4,000 took part in the marathon and biking event on Sunday morning, organised by local authorities to raise funds to improve conditions at the now famous Tham Luang cave complex.
British cave expert Vernon Unsworth was also among the participants.
The boys and their coach have since become celebrities, represented by the 13 Tham Luang Co Ltd, which Thailand’s government helped establish to look after their interests.
Netflix has acquired the rights to their story. "I want to thank everybody who has put so much effort and sacrifices to save all of us," said Ekapol Chantawong, a former Wild Boars team coach. He stood in front of the bronze statue of Lieut Commander Saman Gunan, a Thai navy Seal who lost his life rescuing the trapped boys.
Abbot Prayutjetiyanukarn, a local monk who interacts with the team every week, said some of the boys were wary of the media and try to avoid the press whenever they can.
“But they are fine, both physically and spiritually, there’s nothing to worry about,” he said. Last year’s sensational rescue was initially led only by Thailand’s navy Seals but the task proved extremely difficult.
They turned to international rescuers and cave explorers, and crucially, cave diving experts who located the boys and coach before bringing them out on July 10th, 2018. The operation required placing oxygen canisters along the path where the divers manoeuvred dark, tight and twisting passageways filled with muddy waters and strong currents.
Many local and foreign rescuers returned for Sunday’s run. “Not many children could have survived the way they did, so we have to respect them for that,” said Mr Unsworth, whose advice and experience were crucial to the rescue operation. “What we should do right now is to just let them get on with their lives. Just let them grow up like normal kids,” he said.
The cave and the town of Mae Sai in the mountainous province on the border with Burma are now flooded with curious tourists.
The cave’s surrounding amenities, which just last year primarily featured dirt roads and thick mud, have seen some significant renovations with facilities being built, roads paved, and shops settling in. Local souvenir shopkeepers said that the boys’ ordeal has increased their fortunes.
“Since the kids have been rescued, the economy around here keeps getting better,” said Lek Yodnum, a shop owner who sells T-shirts and memorabilia of the cave rescue. “Before the kids became trapped, there wasn’t a single shop around here. It was all just farm and field,” he said. “Now, Thum Luang has officially become the financial hub of Mae Sai district.” –PA