Portrait of a former Thai navy diver, Samarn Kunan, who died during the rescue mission for the 12 boys of the "Wild Boars" soccer team and their coach, near the Tham Luang cave complex, is seen in the funeral, in the northern province of Chiang Rai, Thailand.
Thailand gave diplomatic immunity to three Australians who helped a boys' soccer team escape from a flooded cave, in case "something went wrong", its foreign minister said on Monday.
The 12 boys of the "Wild Boars" soccer team and their coach are recovering from their ordeal and are to be discharged on Thursday from a hospital in the northern town of Chiang Rai.
Dozens of foreign divers and rescue personnel joined the 17-day rescue that captivated people around the world.
Twelve Thai boys rescued from a flooded cave in northern Thailand will be discharged from hospital next week, health minister Piyasakol Sakolsatayadorn said on Saturday.The last group of the 12-member "Wild Boars" soccer team and their coach was brought out of the Tham Luang cave, near the border with Myanmar, on Tuesday night, safely ending a dangerous rescue and evoking international relief and joy. The 12 and their coach are recovering both physically and mentally and will be discharged from hospital on Thursday, July 19, Piyasakol told reporters."We need to prepare both the children and their families for the attention they will receive when they come out," he said. British divers not heroes, just relieved, after Thai cave rescueCoach of rescued Thai soccer team a 'country boy' longing for citizehship
Thailand's cave boys to be discharged from hospital next week
But immunity was granted only to Australian doctor Richard Harris and two medical assistants, said Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai.
"Doctor Richard Harris did his utmost on the medical mission he was responsible for, but if something went wrong he needed protection," he told Reuters.
"We provided this only to Dr. Richard Harris and two medical assistants. Only to the Australian medical team," he said.
"We knew there were risks involved in this mission...so there was an understanding reached between the Thai government and the Australian government," Don added.
Twelve boys and their soccer coach rescued from a flooded cave in Thailand planned to explore the cavern complex for only about an hour before treacherous flood waters rose to trap them for more than two weeks, one of the boys' fathers said.All 12 of the boys and their 25-year-old coach were brought to safety over the course of a three-day rescue, organised by Thai navy SEALs and an international team of diving and caving experts, that ended on Tuesday.They had gone into the Tham Luang cave in the northern province of Chiang Rai on June 23, for a quick excursion after soccer practice, when a rainy season downpour flooded the tunnels.All you need to know about Pakistani elections"He told me that as soon as they finished practice they went to play at the cave. They thought they'd only be an hour," Banpot Korncam, father of the 13-year-old captain of the "Wild Boars" team, told media."While they were inside the cave it rained, water flowed in and everyone took off," Banpot said.Two British divers found the boys on July 2, squatting on a muddy mound in a flooded chamber several kiometres inside the complex, nine days after they went for their quick jaunt.Then the problem became how to get them back out through the tunnels, some completely full of fast-flowing flood water.Twitter begins purging locked accountsThe boys, aged 11 to 16, had to dive for part of their journey out before they were put on green plastic toboggan-like stretchers and carried, at times through steep, rocky tunnels, with ropes strung overhead.Many people in Thailand have credited the coach, Ekkapol Chantawong, or Ek as he is known, for keeping the boys safe during the ordeal."They just sat quietly without doing anything because it was dark," said Banpot, recounting what his son, who is still in hospital, had told him."When they were hungry Coach Ek would use a flashlight to shine on the stalactites above," he said.'EU will not be divided over US tariffs''CALCULATING, CALM'The group survived by drinking water that dripped off the stalactites and the cave walls, rescue officials said.Initially isolated in hospital in Chiang Rai because of fears of infection, the boys have now been allowed to meet their families. They will stay in hospital at least a week."The boys' health is improving ... relatives can now visit them in close proximity," said Thongchai Lertwilairatanapong, a health ministry inspector.China chemical plant blast kills 19, injures 12The rescue gripped the world, with much praise focusing on the navy SEALs and international team of divers who helped them, toiling for days in dangerous conditions to get the boys out. A former Thai navy SEAL diver died during the mission.John Volanthen, one of the two British divers who found the boys, played down the gallantry."We're not heroes," he told the BBC after arriving back in London."What we do is very calculating. It's very calm, it's quite the opposite ... But it's really the international team I would like to focus on and the Thai SEALs."Trump says Putin 'not my enemy'Volanthen was the first person the boys heard after nine days trapped in the flooded cave. A video posted by the Thai SEALs captured the moment."How many of you?" he asked, a torch beam scanning the boys crowded on the bank."Thirteen? Brilliant."Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said on Thursday international members of the rescue team would be given a "Thailand Elite" card worth 500,000 baht ($15,000) with benefits including a 5-year visa in thanks.
Thai soccer team planned to be inside the cave for only an hour
"The Thai government would like to thank Dr. Harris."
A spokeswoman for Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade declined to comment.
The success was tinged with bitterness, however, as Harris learnt his father, Jim, died in Australia shortly after the three-day rescue was completed last week.
Harris, an anaesthetist, went into the Tham Luang cave to assess the boys' health and was one of the last rescuers out of the cave after the boys, aged 11 to 16, and their 25-year-old coach were brought to safety.
There have been reports the boys were sedated for their trip out through narrow, flooded passageways, though officials said only that some had been given medicine to calm their nerves.
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
The soccer team was exploring the cave on June 23 when monsoon rains trapped them deep inside the 10-km (6-mile mile) cave complex.
Thai navy SEALs and an international team of cave-diving experts played a key role in bringing them to safety.
Thais have flooded social media with grateful messages for mission participants, including Harris and the only casualty, Samarn Kunan, 38, a former member of Thailand's elite SEALs unit.
Samarn, who died after delivering oxygen tanks in the cave, was cremated on Saturday in a ceremony broadcast live on Thai television.
The boys wiped away tears as they signed a portrait of Samarn, in photographs released by the hospital on Sunday.