More than 2 weeks ago, a football team from Thailand has caught the world’s attention when they went missing from their excursion.
The team was composed of 12 boys, aged between 11 to 16, and their 25-year-old coach. After the boys’ bikes were seen next to an entrance of a cave, it became evident that they were trapped inside due to heavy flooding.
It took a grueling 9 days of a rescue operation to find the group alive and another 9 days to get them out to safety. After 18 days, all the boys and coach have been rescued.
Many people have blamed the coach, Ekkapol Chantawong, for what had happened and accused him of being irresponsible for taking the children into the cave. In defense of Ekkapol, a Twitter user @yvvonelim9 posted a thread about the coach’s life and shared some relevant facts. Now it’s clear that the coach has played a very important role in keeping the boys alive during the ordeal.
It was reported that the caring coach was the weakest and malnourished among the team because he has given his share of food to the kids. He also taught the children to meditate to keep their spirits high and help them preserve their energy until the time they were rescued.
Scroll down to see the full story.
#thaicaverescue A thread about the 25-yr-old asst. football coach, Ekapol, who was in charge of the twelve boys. pic.twitter.com/nrBh7OSEc8
— no more Lolitas (@yvvonelim9) July 8, 2018
He then trained to be a monk but left the monastery to care for his ailing grandmother in Mae Sai in northern Thailand. There, he split his time between a working as a temple hand at a monastery and training the then newly-established Moo Pa team. pic.twitter.com/uCLVAHoRD9
— no more Lolitas (@yvvonelim9) July 8, 2018
"He loved them more than himself," said Joy Khampai, a longtime friend of Ekapol's who works at a coffee stand in the Mae Sai monastery. "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."
— no more Lolitas (@yvvonelim9) July 8, 2018
The two spent time looking for sponsors and used the Moo Pa team to prove to the boys that they could become something more than their small town would suggest – even professional athletes.
— no more Lolitas (@yvvonelim9) July 8, 2018
He also kept the boys on a strict training schedule, according to physical education teachers at the school field where they practiced. That included biking across the hills that surround Mae Sai.
— no more Lolitas (@yvvonelim9) July 8, 2018
He taught the kids to drink water from cave walls & not the murky floodwaters that trap them.
— no more Lolitas (@yvvonelim9) July 8, 2018
A widely shared cartoon drawing of Ekapol shows him sitting cross-legged, as a monk does in meditation, with 12 little wild boars in his arms.
— no more Lolitas (@yvvonelim9) July 8, 2018
Police officials have not ruled out negligence charges but will focus on rescue efforts first. Public opinion is divided on Ekapol's role in the incident. Despite being responsible for leading the boys into the cave, many believe he has played a huge role in keeping them alive.
— no more Lolitas (@yvvonelim9) July 8, 2018
Taken from: https://t.co/uHTVfEPS4qhttps://t.co/3KC7pDUqgH
— no more Lolitas (@yvvonelim9) July 8, 2018
The boys, aged between 11-16, went missing with their 25-yr-old coach after soccer practice on June 23, setting out on an adventure to explore the cave complex near the border with Myanmar and celebrate a boy's birthday. https://t.co/9slwoHHzhD
— no more Lolitas (@yvvonelim9) July 8, 2018
The boys became trapped when they entered the cave system, leaving their shoes and bags near the mouth of the cave to write their names on the wall.
Dutch cave diver Ben Raymanents spoke with the trapped boys who told him it was a kind of initiation ritual.— no more Lolitas (@yvvonelim9) July 9, 2018
The disease killed his seven-year-old brother, then his mother and father. "He loves those boys very much because he lost his father, I always believed that Chanthawong would help them keep calm and optimistic, and he loved us very much," Ms Sriwichai (his aunt) said.
— no more Lolitas (@yvvonelim9) July 9, 2018
Thawatchai Thaikieaw, deputy director of the justice ministry said he was afraid the Coach would fall into depression and possibly commit suicide upon exiting the cave.
— no more Lolitas (@yvvonelim9) July 9, 2018
(cont.) for putting his family through court cases. “I’m afraid Coach Ek may suffer from similar issues. I’m worried,” Thawatchai said. “I want to encourage him. If I got to see him, the first thing I would do is give him a hug…I want to tell him he’s great.”
— no more Lolitas (@yvvonelim9) July 9, 2018
https://t.co/y7XLWuKiqi …https://t.co/0shuAPPYHZ …
— no more Lolitas (@yvvonelim9) July 9, 2018