ASIA / PACIFIC
July 1, 2019
THE ASIAN REPORTER n Page 3
Thai cave boys mark year since ordeal with Buddhist rites
RESCUE ANNIVERSARY. Members of the
Wild Boars soccer team, top photo, who were rescued
from a flooded cave last year, pose for the media after
a marathon and biking event in Mae Sai, Chiang Rai
province, Thailand. Some of the 12 young Thai soccer
players and their coach marked the anniversary of the
ordeal that saw them trapped in the flooded cave for
two weeks with a religious ceremony and commemo-
rative marathon in northern Thailand. In the bottom
photo, members of the soccer team pray in front of
the statue of Saman Gunan, the retired Thai SEAL
diver who died during the rescue mission, at the
Saman Gunan monument center, an art gallery
that was created near the cave. (AP Photos/
Sakchai Lalit)
By Pitcha Dangprasith
The Associated Press
AE SAI, Thailand — The 12
young Thai soccer players and
their coach who grabbed global
attention last year when they were
trapped in a flooded cave for more than two
weeks marked the anniversary of their
ordeal with a religious ceremony.
The boys who became known as the Wild
Boars, their soccer club, took part in a
Buddhist ceremony in which they gave
food to monks to make merit. They then
attended a news conference to talk about
their lives over the past year.
Chanin Vibulrungruang, 12, the
youngest of the group, said he now has to
tell his parents where he’s going every
time he leaves his house.
“I already told my mom I was coming to
this event,” Chanin joked. “My life has
changed a lot since then because many
people recognize me now.”
The boys and their coach entered the
Tham Luang cave complex in far northern
Thailand after soccer practice last June 23,
leaving their bicycles and soccer cleats
outside the entrance. Rising floodwater
quickly trapped them inside, and when
they didn’t return home, a massive search
was launched.
The boys spent nine nights lost in the
cave, living on very little food and water,
before they were spotted deep in the
twisting cave complex huddled on a patch
of dirt above the rising water line. It was a
moment captured on video and soon
broadcast to the world.
It would be another eight days — until
July 10 — before they were all safe. A team
of expert divers guided each of the boys out
of the cave on special stretchers. The
operation required placing oxygen
canisters along the path where the divers
maneuvered dark, tight, and twisting
passageways filled with muddy water and
strong currents.
The drama of the ordeal kept the world
watching and the boys have since become
celebrities.
“I want to say thank you to everyone who
took part in saving all of our lives,” Ekapol
Chantawong, the 26-year-old coach who
M
led the boys into the cave, told reporters.
“We promise that we’ll be good role models
to society, and we also love everyone.”
FREE HOME REPAIRS FOR PORTLAND
SENIOR & DISABLED HOMEOWNERS
Plumbing l Electrical l Carpentry
Call (503) 501-5719 or
visit https://reachcdc.org
Portland
Housing
Bureau
Ekapol said most of the boys — now
between 12 and 17 years old — still dream
of becoming professional soccer players,
Black Pearl Acupuncture
Lewis & Clark College Special Collections
Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine
are great for:
- Acute/Chronic Pain (i.e. neck, back,
sciatica & shoulder)
- Treating & Preventing the flu and colds
- Stress Relief
- Headaches/Migraines
www.blackpearlacupuncture.com
while some want to become Navy SEALs
like those who took part in their search
and rescue.
The news conference was the second of
two days of events held to mark the
anniversary. The day before, several of the
boys, their coach, and a number of the local
and foreign divers took part in a bike ride
and run to raise money to improve
conditions at the cave.
The news conference was held at the
Saman Gunan monument center, an art
gallery erected near the cave to honor the
fallen former Thai Navy SEAL who died
while working on the search and rescue.
“This place is very important for us,”
said one of the boys, Adul Sam-on, who just
turned 15. “Partly because of Lt. Saman,
who is like a second father to us. He was
the one who helped us, and we need to
remind ourselves of that every day.”
Gunan’s widow, Valepon Gunan, said: “I
believe that my husband is still looking
over all of them.”
The day’s events were organized by 13
Tham Luang Co. Ltd., a company that
manages business opportunities stem-
ming from the ordeal that was established
with help from Thailand’s military govern-
ment. All 13 survivors hold shares in the
company with coach Ekapol acting as
chairman.
Ekapol was asked about comments on
social media that have criticized the group
for seeking to profit from the crisis.
“Everybody’s entitled to their own
opinions,” Ekapol said. “All we can do is
find a way to live with it. In the end, it’s
their right to think about us any way they
want.”
Vietnamese Portland
Memory, History, Community
Sita Symonette
Licensed Acupuncturist
seasymonettea@gmail.com
Call to schedule an appointment: (503) 308-9363
Interpretation services available
505 N.W. Ninth Ave., Portland, OR 97209
Retirement Living
PORTLAND’S
LEADER IN
NATURAL BURIAL &
AQUA CREMATION
C HAUCER C OURT
• A PARTMENTS ~ S TUDIO ,
O NE B EDROOM , AND
M OBILITY I MPAIRED
We are building an archive to
document the Vietnamese American
experience in Portland
• F EDERAL R ENT
S UBSIDIES A VAILABLE
• N O B UY -I N OR
A PPLICATION F EES
• A FFORDABLE R ENT 30 % OF
A DJUSTED G ROSS I NCOME
• I DEAL U RBAN L OCATION
NEAR R ESTAURANTS P UBLIC
T RANSPORTATION , M EDICAL
F ACILITIES , & S HOPPING
Tu Phan
Currently interviewing individuals
to record the story of their lives
Branch Manager, NMLS #7916
Call about
refinances & purchases
Offering
FHA/VA/Conventional Mortgages
(503) 780-6872
<tu.phan@fairwaymc.com>
<www.LoansNow.com>
503-224-3559
Come Visit Us and See Our
Renovated Apartments!
1019 SW 10 TH A VE • P ORTLAND 97205
12817 S.E. 93rd Ave.
Clackamas, OR 97015
Copyright©2018 Fairway Independent Mortgage
Corporation. NMLS#2289. 4750 S. Biltmore Lane,
Madison, WI 53718, 1-877-699-0353. All rights
reserved. Fairway is not affiliated with any
government agencies. These materials are not
from HUD or FHA and were not approved by
HUD or a government agency. This is not an offer
to enter into an agreement. Not all customers will
qualify. Information, rates and programs are subject
to change without notice. All products are subject to
credit and property approval. Other restrictions
and limitations may apply. Equal Housing Lender.
Please call us for
a complimentary
pre-planning guide
River View Cemetery
(503) 246-4251
River View Cemetery
Funeral Home
(503) 246-6488 - 24 hours
8421 S.W. Macadam Avenue
Portland, OR 97219
www.riverviewcemetery.org
www.riverviewcemeteryfuneralhome.com
For more information or to schedule
an interview, please email
vietnameseportland@lclark.edu
or call
503-768-7279
This project is supported in whole or part by the Institute of
Museum and Library Services through the Library Services and
Technology Act, administered by the State Library of Oregon
Vietnamese Portland: Memory, History, Community