Coach oach, Ekkapol Chantawong is described as a "kind and humble man."
A soccer coach rescued with a 12-member squad of boys this week from a flooded cave in Thailand is a kind and humble young man who loves sports and hopes to become a Thai citizen, a relative and friend said on Thursday.
The coach, Ekkapol Chantawong, or Ek as he is known, has come under scrutiny as the only adult in the group of 13 who got trapped in the cave in the northern province of Chiang Rai on June 23 during an expedition.
All 13 were finally brought out after a dramatic rescue through flooded tunnels this week.
Ek, 25, along with the 12 boys, has been in hospital since being extracted and has not spoken publicly about the ordeal, or about how the group got trapped by flood waters after a rainy season downpour.
The head of a Thai navy SEAL diving team that helped lead 12 boys and their soccer coach through a flooded cave complex to safety urged the boys on Thursday to "make the most" of their lives and be a force for good.The first footage of the boys, aged 11 to 16, convalescing in hospital in the northern city of Chiang Rai emerged on Wednesday, with some, wearing face masks and hospital gowns, giving peace signs to the camera.'You are my very heart': Wife of diver who died in Thai cave mourns a heroHealth officials said the boys would spend at least a week in hospital and around 30 days recovering at home following more than two weeks trapped inside the flooded Tham Luang cave complex.Thirteen foreign divers and five Thai Navy SEALs guided boys and their coach out in a complicated three-day operation that ended on Tuesday."Make the most of your lives. Be good people, be a force for good for your country," Rear Admiral Apakorn Yuukongkaew, commander of Thailand's navy SEALS unit, said in a message to the boys before boarding a flight from Chiang Rai."Hooyah!" Apakorn shouted before flying out, using a morale-building navy term.Footage released by the SEALs showed parts of the rescue operation that captivated the world.As Trump amps up trade war, China plays nice with foreign investorsThe boys were held close to the divers and remained motionless for parts of the journey where they had to dive. They were then carried on stretchers through dry parts to the cave's entrance.Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan said on Wednesday the operation was nothing short of a miracle.Families of the 12 boys have been allowed to visit them.A statement from Thailand's public health ministry on Thursday said two boys from the first group rescued on Sunday who were diagnosed with a lung infection were recovering well. Three boys from the last group saved have ear infections.The boys' families can visit them wearing protective gowns and masks, it added.At U-Tapao civil-military airport in Rayong province, near where the Royal Thai Navy operates out of Sattahip Naval Base, Thai navy SEALs and some foreign military personnel were given a hero's' welcome when they touched down on Thursday.Those involved in the rescue were give large garlands made from marigolds as navy officers and proud civilians stood by. Some well-wishers at the air base prepared red roses."All Thais are proud of you ... You have made a name for the SEALs unit," a senior navy official told those gathered.The Tham Luang cave complex will remain closed to the public for at least six months, said Chongklai Worapongsathorn, deputy director-general of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation.
Make the most of your lives, rescued Thai cave boys told
He showed remorse in a note to the boys' parents that rescuers brought out of the cave, apologising and vowing to take "the very best care" of the boys.
"Ek is a kind and humble man," said one of his relatives, Charoenpol Rattanaweerachon, 52. "He loves sports, cycling and football since he was young."
"He's a country boy so he enjoys nature."
Attention has also focused on Ek's status in Thailand.
The wife of a former Thai navy diver who died working to rescue a young soccer team trapped for days in a flooded cave said on Thursday she missed him dearly and urged the boys not to blame themselves for his death.The rescued boys smiled and waved from their hospital beds in the first video clip released on Wednesday after an ordeal that has gripped the world.Samarn Kunan, 38, a former member of the elite navy SEALs unit, was the only casualty in a multinational operation to save the boys and their coach after monsoon rains trapped them in the cave they were exploring in northern Thailand.China to increase influence in Middle East: Experts"I love you so much," his widow, Valeepoan Kunan, wrote in the caption to a black-and-white photograph of her husband she posted on her Instagram account."I miss you," she added. "I love you like you are my very heart...from now on when I wake up...who will I kiss?"The world should remember Samarn, the head of the rescue mission told a news conference at the end of the 17-day operation."Samarn Kunan is the real hero," Narongsak Osottanakorn said. "On the day that he passed, the entire team was sad, but we used this sorrow. We saw that he gave his life for this cause."Putin, Netanyahu meet in MoscowA day earlier Valeepoan posted a picture of her hand clasping that of her husband.People from around the world have offered condolences and commented on Valeepoan's social media accounts."Our hearts go out to you and your family at this difficult time," read one comment. "Your husband is so brave. The world will not forget his kindness and all he did to save those boys."A Thai artist has promised to create a statue of Samarn to be erected in Chiang Rai province, where the Tham Luang cave is situated.Samarn, an emergency rescue worker at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport after he left the SEALs in 2006, joined the cave rescue operation on July 1.British divers found the 13 young men huddled on a muddy ledge in a partly flooded chamber inside the cave. Samarn died on July 6 after losing consciousness during a mission to place oxygen tanks deep inside the cave, just two days before the first group of four boys was brought out.During the rescue, some Thais said on social media that the soccer team had been reckless in entering the cave during the rainy season. But Valeepoan absolved them of responsibility."I want to tell the boys, please don't blame yourselves," Valeepoan told reporters.
'You are my very heart': Wife of diver who died in Thai cave mourns a hero
He is a member of the Tai Lue minority, one of several groups whose people have over generations moved around the region, across open borders in remote hills between southern China, Myanmar and Laos, and into northern Thailand's ethnic patchwork of communities.
Many such people do not have Thai citizenship papers and are officially stateless.
Weenat Seesuk, an interior ministry official in Bangkok, said Ek and three of the rescued boys from the "Wild Boars" soccer team were stateless.
"They are not Thai citizens," Weenat told Reuters, adding that officials were checking to see if they qualified for citizenship.
'LIKE A FATHER'
Many Thais on social media say the boys and their coach should be given citizenship following their ordeal.
"He would love to become a Thai citizen," said Charoenpol.
Recounting Ek's life, Charoenpol said he ordained as a novice Buddhist monk at the age of 10, after his father died.
He stayed at a temple in Chiang Mai province until he was 20, when he left the monkhood to take care of his grandmother.
Ek did odd jobs and lived a simple life, often sleeping at a monastery high on a hill or with friends in the town of Mae Sai on the Myanmar border, not far from the cave complex.
Some people have wondered whether Ek's background as a Buddhist monk had helped him stay calm, and help the children, during their ordeal in the flooded Tham Luang cave.
"I think he helped the children a lot, being a novice monk for 10 years," said Charoenpol.
Chanta Chaichim, the mother of Duangpetch Promthep, 13, the rescued captain of the "Wild Boars", said the young coach was like a father to her son.
"He even washes his clothes after practice," Chanta told Reuters.
Ek's Facebook page is full of photographs of him with the boys playing sports.
Hours before he and the boys became trapped, he posted a last video of the "Wild Boars" practising under a cloudy sky.
Charoenpol said Ek would be warmly welcomed back into the community when he left hospital.
"He must be feeling guilty right now but I would say he has nothing fear. His goodness will shine through," he said.