The extraction from the cave complex in Thailand has begun. Any thoughts? - Politics Forum.org | PoFo

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#14931021
This is the news story of the year and I wish them luck.

Updated 2:19 AM EDT July 8, 2018
Tham Luang caves, Thailand
The perilous mission to evacuate 12 boys and their 25-year-old coach trapped deep inside a flooded cave in northern Thailand is under way, Thai authorities announced Sunday.
"Our readiness is at the highest today. Today is D-day," said Chiang Rai's governor, Narongsak Osotthanakorn, adding that the families had been informed of the plan and given their support to the rescue effort.
At 10 a.m. local time, an international contingent of 13 specialist divers and five Thai Navy Seals descended into the watery network of underground tunnels below the Mae Sai mountains, carrying with them the hopes of an entire nation.
The plight of the stricken boys, who have remained trapped inside the caves for 15 days, has transfixed Thailand, as rescue efforts have become ever more urgent.
Rescuers have what has been described as a dwindling window of opportunity, with forecasters predicting the return of heavy monsoon rains in the coming days, effectively sealing off the cave until October.
"We have two obstacles: water and time. This what we have been racing against since day one. We have to do all we can, even though it is hard to fight the force of nature," said Osotthanakorn, as a light rain began to fall across the site.
"All we need a suitable time window when all conditions are right to carry out the operation, we have been waiting for this right moment."
Race against time
At the entrance to the caves, volunteers assisting in the operation described the rescue attempt as a "now or never" scenario.
The boys and their coach are huddled together in a small chamber 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) inside the cave, surrounded by flood water and with a limited supply of oxygen.
To reach them, divers will need to successfully navigate a network of sprawling, narrow tunnels connecting the boys' chamber with the rescue command center, known as Chamber Three.
Divers are expected to escort the boys through the tunnels one by one. Once they reach the command center, the boys will be handed over separate specialist rescue teams, who will assist them through Chambers One and Two, according to a Thai navy official with knowledge of the rescue operation.
"Today the water level in chambers number One, Two and Three inside the cave is low enough to walk through them," said Osotthanakorn.
"The water of some parts recedes as much as 30 cm (11.8 inches), it is considered the lowest level for the past 10 days."
Signs that a rescue operation was under way were evident in the hours leading up to the announcement, as authorities installed a large green tarp around the cave entrance and removed media from outside of the camp to a separate location.
On the dirt track leading to the tunnels, a near continuous convoy of trucks and military vehicles delivered troops and medical equipment, including a large cache of oxygen tanks. On Saturday evening, numerous international military advisers could be seen entering the site, followed later by four monks in orange robes.
At the entrance to the site, a newly placed, thin white decorative flag fluttered in the wind, a Buddhist sign to indicate positive energy.
High risk
Hopes had been high that an alternative means of rescue would be discovered. For days, specialist teams have scoured mountains above the cave in search of a possible hidden entry point.
Divers have previously described conditions in the cave network as some of the most extreme they have ever faced.
The decision to remove the boys using divers would not have been taken lightly. On Friday, a former Thai Navy SEAL died while returning from an operation to deliver oxygen tanks to the cave where the boys are located.
Even if the divers are successful, it will be many hours before the fate of the boys and their rescuers will be known, with Thai authorities suggesting the extraction process could take days.
"The earliest they're expected to emerge is 9 p.m. local (8 a.m. ET)," Osotthanakorn said.
It has previously taken divers 11 hours to complete the round trip.
Finnish volunteer diver Mikko Paasi, a long-term resident of Thailand, said the death of the Thai Navy SEAL had changed the mood on the ground and made real for rescuers just how dangerous the mission had become.
"Definitely, you can feel it that it has an effect, but we're moving on. Everyone is a professional so we're trying to put it away and avoid it happening again," he said, adding: "Everybody is focusing on getting these boys out — keeping them alive or getting them out."
Spirits high
In the hours preceding the rescue, a letter the boys had sent to their families was published on the Thai SEALs' Facebook page. The letter shows the boys in good spirits despite their ordeal.
In neat blue handwriting, 11-year-old Chanin Viboonrungruang, the youngest of the group, told his parents not to worry, and said he was looking forward to eating fried chicken.
His parents, who along with other families, have maintained a constant vigil at the site since the boys first became trapped.
On reading the letter Saturday evening, Chanin's father, Tanawut Viboonrungruang, said he felt a great sense of relief. "I had been worried about my son, that he would be exhausted, he would be tired," he said.
For families the wait for news of their boys' rescue has been excruciating.
"I was worried about him as there are obstacles to extract him out. Everyone knows that it is difficult to stay inside (the cave) but the officials are trying (to help him)," said Viboonrungruang.
"I hope he is still healthy and would come out soon. I want to send my support to him. I don't have a chance to talk with him," he said.


https://edition.cnn.com/2018/07/07/asia ... index.html
#14931024
Personally as a parent I was upset when they disappeared in the cave complex, elated when they were found, then despondent, then sad when the Thai diver drowned..
No one has greater love than this, that someone would lay down his life for his friends.
#14931076
They are now saying on the BBC that four have been rescued, not six, and there are nine still trapped. It's a fast moving story. There will be a break for a while before another batch of four are extricated. Fingers crossed.
#14931081
danholo wrote:edit: Happy to hear!

I don't really care that much. Fortunately the boys are safe and the world cares about things like this because nobody is to blame.

What gets me is the media circus but I guess the circus had some positive effects.

I hear you.

It is a little nauseating sometimes how boys are killed by the scores by American bombs and bullets in Iraq or Afghanistan, or Saudi bombs and bullets in Yemen, or Israeli bullets and bombs in Gaza, and nobody really gives a shit. For many kind hearted, it seems like this is the just the cruelty of war manifested; a bit like a flood or an earthquake. It sucks, but what are you gonna do, eh?

But a situation like this. Imagine if those were your boys. Or, imagine that were you.

Allow me to switch gears.

It's a hell of a story, for very obvious reasons.

Whether the media be there or not, it is an immensely challenging situation, and the rescuers are motivated by basic human instinct.

May the man who died rest in peace. The greatest hope among all involved, I am quite confident, is that everyone would survive. What has happened though, can't be undone.

Back to the main point, there is the ability to get them out, so the efforts are not for naught.

As it were, they didn't even break any regulations. The cave is closed from the first of July. They went in June 23.

It's a media story because it is a big story. Nothing cynical in it.

That said, if you are from a country like the USA or Israel, it's understandable how one might be a bit desensitized to the death of brown children. As a recommended tact, better to just keep it under your hat, in polite company. (Lol, here is only polite company against some of the internet septic tanks out there.)
#14931088
But a situation like this. Imagine if those were your boys. Or, imagine that were you.


I did, so, like I said - the media circus has brought positivity here and gotten these kids out faster than it probably would've. Good for humanity - everyone is willing to help, cause it's easy. Nobody is being hurt by the actual helping.

Really nice news compared to all the other shit lately.

anarchist23 wrote:They are now saying on the BBC that four have been rescued, not six, and there are nine still trapped. It's a fast moving story. There will be a break for a while before another batch of four are extricated. Fingers crossed.


Your love for innocents is unparalleled. Thanks for sharing the news.
#14931108
danholo wrote:I did, so, like I said - the media circus has brought positivity here and gotten these kids out faster than it probably would've. Good for humanity - everyone is willing to help, cause it's easy. Nobody is being hurt by the actual helping.


That was actually sarcasm.

I know it doesn't traverse well on the internet.

It's much more touchy feely, you see, if you imagine it as your boys.

I don't think your boys would be palling around with some dudes in a complex in Gaza.

More likely than not they would be if they could, but they can't, so they won't be.

But trapped in a cave? Well, that could happen to anyone now, couldn't it.

(Except me of course. I shun caves.)
#14931112
The rescue operation has been postponed for ten hours, overnight. The rescuers need to rest and have the necessary equipment in place before the nine left are rescued tomorrow. It's raining heavily at the moment but if the level of water in the cave increases tonight they have an emergency plan.
What is good is that the Thai authorities have recognised that the international divers have the know how.
#14931132


Four boys have been rescued so far by the two British divers who escorted them out of the cave. It may take a day to restock the oxygen supplies and resume the rescue operation. The divers, John Volanthen and Richard Stanton, had to navigate through a labyrinth of caverns and tunnels. They are cave divers with experience of diving in very flooded caves all over the world and some rescue operations as well.

#14931201
From all reports the next batch of kids are on their way to freedom at this very moment and should be out in a few hours.

Edit..
Not for the want of seeming puerile....
When going to bed last night I was very thankful and sad at the same time......
Our three kids are in bed warm and cosy unlike those perched on a ledge in a frigging cave. The crazy thing is that the trapped kids are in a way lucky compared to many children. At least they have a good chance of being rescued unlike the billions of kids in abject poverty where there is absolutely little chance in childhood of escaping their dire predicament. It's a fucked up world, without a doubt.

Edit..

Image


.
Last edited by anarchist23 on 09 Jul 2018 22:21, edited 5 times in total.
#14931206
Breaking news. There are reports that the eight boy rescued is on his way to hospital..

Rescuers working at a cave site in northern Thailand have brought four more boys out of the flooded cave system Monday, according to a witness working with the rescue team, leaving four boys and their coach still inside.
The first boy to emerge Monday was seen on a stretcher just before 4:30 p.m. local time (5:30 a.m. ET). He was taken by helicopter and ambulance to the same hospital in Chiang Rai where the first four boys rescued Sunday by a team of international and Thai dive experts are being treated.
Two more boys left the Tham Luang Nang Non cave complex a short time later and were transferred to a medical facility on site, followed soon after by a fourth boy, according to the eyewitness, who is stationed at the entrance to the cave.
The 12 boys, all part of a youth soccer team known as the Wild Boars, first went missing with their coach more than two weeks ago. Last Monday they were discovered huddled on a narrow rock shelf deep within the flooded cave system.
At a news conference Monday, former Chiang Rai governor Narongsak Osotthanakorn said the second rescue involved many of the same divers who brought the four boys out on Sunday.
The second evacuation attempt started at 11 a.m. local time (midnight ET) after rescue workers got some rest and refilled supplies.
Five ambulances were seen driving toward the cave complex on Monday afternoon, and at least one helicopter was also seen heading toward the cave entrance.
Officials said late Sunday they'd need to pause the operation for at least 10 hours to fill oxygen tanks that had been depleted during the first phase of the rescue mission.
The four boys rescued Sunday are recovering in a nearby hospital and are yet to see their parents. A family member told CNN Monday that they hadn't been told which boys had been pulled out, and who is still trapped in the cave.
A relative of one member of the soccer team said that the boys' families had agreed to remain at the cave until all of the boys and the coach are brought out.
Authorities have refused to confirm names reported in local media, but in the small town of Mae Sai where the cave is located, it's all anybody is talking about.

https://edition.cnn.com/2018/07/07/asia ... index.html



Edit.
From initial reports the rescue operation has been suspended till tomorrow morning.
#14931399
Image


This is interesting..
It seems that Vernon Unsworth knew the cave complex in intricate detail and had the nickname of Caveman by the locals. The discovery of those trapped was in the main down to British pothole nerds. lol

A British caver has been hailed 'a magician' after he used his unique knowledge of Thailand's underground tunnels to lead rescuers to the 12 stranded school boys.

Vernon Unsworth, from St Albans, Herts, convinced Thai officials to bring in heroic UK divers who found stranded schoolboys, a friend has revealed.

Mr Unsworth, who lives close to the Tham Luang Nang Non cave, reached the cave the day after the group of boys and their football coach went missing.

He called on the two British divers Rick Stanton and John Volanthen, who were the first to reach the trapped boys alive on Monday.

Close friend Chaiyon Srisamut told MailOnline: 'Vern found out that the boys were stuck in the cave the next day.

'The Thai Navy Seals went into the cave but they could not see anything because the water is so muddy so they came back.

'Vern told me he knew some English guys who could definitely help. They are his friends and they had been here at the cave a couple of weeks before.

'The funny thing is that at first the authorities didn't want to pay attention to him. They didn't trust him and the governor did not want foreigners to be out at risk.

'But Vern convinced them and now they consider him as some kind of magician.'

The British potholers Mr Stanton and Mr Volanthen were confident that the footballers would be at the Pattaya Beach section of the cave due to Mr Unswoerth's intimate knowledge of the 8km tunnel network.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-5934437/Cat-Deeley-shows-HUGE-diamond-push-present-hits-beach-Malibu.html







Update, Tuesday 10th July 11:00 GMT

The tenth boy has just been rescued. This leaves 2 boys and the coach to be rescued. Also there are navy personnel who have stayed with the boys since they were discovered and the doctor. So the rescue mission isn't over yet.
#14931642
All 12 members of a Thai youth football team and their coach have been brought safely out of the cave in northern Thailand
Eight boys rescued on Sunday and Monday are in hospital but have not been named and are being kept in quarantine
Each person was pulled through the cave by expert divers
A rescue doctor and three Navy Seals who stayed with the group are still to emerge
The 12 boys and their coach were trapped by floods more than two weeks ago
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