Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Ramadan 17, 1445 H
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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Thai cave boys in the spotlight, again

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BANGKOK: The young Thai football team whose terrifying ordeal in a flooded cave captivated the world earlier this year recounted their memories of their rescue on Thursday as they visited a spectacular exhibit chronicling the drama.


The interactive showcase, in Bangkok’s popular Siam Paragon mall, details the efforts made by a multi-national group of experts to get the 12 boys and their 25-year-old coach out of Tham Luang cave in northern Thailand.


Among other things, it features a model of the narrow tunnel that divers had to manoeuvre the boys through as flood waters rose.


Since they were safely extracted two months ago, international and domestic interest in them has remained high, with Hollywood movie deals in the works.


Thai authorities banned reporters from speaking to the boys in a bid to help them return to normality after the harrowing experience, with media outlets required to obtain permission from the government before approaching them.


But Thursday’s festivities saw the boys cast into the spotlight as they were interviewed by government spokesman Colonel Werachon Sukondhapatipak.


They will also be the focus of a night-time celebration called “United as One”, with more than 10,000 people expected to attend, according to authorities.


When asked about how their lives had changed after the rescue, Prachak Sutham, the first boy who escaped the cave, said: “Things are the same, but more people know me now.”


— AFP


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