Thailand - Six footballers emerging in quick succession, safe and well : source

As of 7.25pm Sunday, six of the 13 Mu Pa Academy footballers trapped inside Tham Luang Cave since June 23 had been safely evacuated, a military source confirmed.

All six youths underwent medical exams, having weathered the challenging journey to the entrance of the cave from the place they’d sheltered deep inside. All were found to be in good health and responded well to queries.

The first two boys were by that time already at Chiang Rai Prachanukraw Hospital, where they’ll be further monitored, and the two others were being examined at a field hospital. 

Three more members of the group were in a chamber close to the cave entrance.

Source - TheNation

Mark’, 14, first the emerge from cave

The first Mu Pa Academy footballer rescued from the Chiang Rai cave has been identified as Mongkhon Bunpiem, 14.

He emerged from Tham Luang Cave at 5.10pm and was examined at a field hospital before boarding an ambulance to an airfield for the helicopter ride to Chiang Rai Prachanukraw Hospital.

Mongkhon, whose nickname is Mark, is a football academy trainee who  has played football since childhood and tends to wear football jerseys all the time. His favourite team is  Thai League's Muangthong United. 

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FIFA boss invites Thai cave boys to World Cup final

Moscow - FIFA president Gianni Infantino has invited the Thai boys' football team trapped in a cave to the World Cup final, as messages of support poured in from top players.

    Infantino said he hoped the Wild Boars team, who were stranded by rising floodwaters two weeks ago, would be rescued in time to watch the final in Moscow on July 15.

    "If, as we all hope, they are reunited with their families in the coming days and their health allows them to travel, FIFA would be delighted to invite them to attend the 2018 World Cup final as our guests," he wrote in a letter to the head of the Football Association of Thailand.

    "I sincerely hope that they will be able to join us at the final, which will undoubtedly be a wonderful moment of communion and celebration."

    The Thai footballers, aged 11-16, have been stuck in darkness deep underground after setting off to explore the cave with their 25-year-old coach after training on June 23.

    The players remain trapped despite being reached this week by cave-diving rescuers, who released footage of them looking emaciated but calm, some wearing football shirts.

 Their harrowing ordeal coincides with the World Cup in Russia and it has not escaped the attention of players.

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    "I've been speaking about it with a few of the boys," said England defender John Stones, according to British media.

    "It's so sad to see where they are and we hope they get out safe and sound."

    Japan's World Cup squad tweeted a video urging the team to "Hang in there!", while Brazil legend Ronaldo called their plight "terrible".

    "The world of football hopes that someone can find a way to take these kids out of there," he said, according to CNN.

    Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp urged them to "stay strong and know we are with you", in a video message sent to CNN.

  "We are following all the news and hoping every second that you see daylight again," Klopp said. "We are all very optimistic that it will happen, hopefully in minutes, hours or the next few days."

 

    Meanwhile the Croatian Football Federation said it was "awed" by the team's calm under pressure.

    "We are awed by the bravery and strength that these young boys and their coach have shown amidst such frightening circumstances," it said on its website.

    Many fans on social media said the boys deserved the World Cup trophy for the way they have handled their ordeal.//AFP

Source - TheNation

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Cambodia - Herd of Elephants rescued from muddy bomb crater

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Eleven wild elephants were rescued on Saturday in Mondulkiri’s Keo Seima protected area after becoming trapped in a former bomb crater without food for four days, though rangers will continue to monitor the herd to ensure it reaccepts one juvenile who was handled by humans during the rescue.

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Olly Griffin, a technical advisor with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), said the operation was a “big team effort” between civil society groups, government authorities and local villagers.

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“A large part of the credit goes to the local people from the area, who showed concern and compassion for the plight of the elephants,” Griffin said yesterday.

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The 3-metre-deep bomb crater had been repurposed as a water storage pond, and Griffin said the elephants may have been seeking water when they became trapped. 

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Keo Sopheak, director of the province’s environmental department, said the walls of the pit were too steep for the elephants to climb out of, and as the water began to dry, they became mired in the mud.

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“After we watered them, some villagers helped cut bamboo leaves for them to eat because they do not have food for four days. We dug out the sides of the pit and placed wood planks for them to walk on,” said Sopheak.

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WCS supplied equipment likes ropes and digging tools, which allowed 10 of the 11 elephants to successfully exit on their own.

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One young elephant, however, was too weak to leave unassisted. Griffin explained that as the sun began to set and the pit began to fill with rainwater, rescuers made the difficult decision to tie a rope to the young elephant and forcibly pull it out of the pit.

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“The mother may abandon the elephant,” Griffin said, noting that the herd may be spooked if the youngster smells like humans.

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“It ran off in the same direction as the rest of the herd … We will send some rangers to observe whether or not he is accepted.”

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Yan Socheat, one of village rescuers, said locals were aware that there were elephants in the area for about a week, but didn’t realise they were in trouble.

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Video footage shows rescuers pulling out the young elephant, who subsequently tramples one of his liberators as he flees. Socheat said the rescuer was stunned, but uninjured. 

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Additional reporting by Andrew Nachemson

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