Volunteers and success

Volunteers and success

The successful search and the coming rescue of the Wild Boar football team is one of our finest moments. The 12 boys and coach were found and then broadcast on video to the nation by skilled and tenacious divers who refused to take a step or stroke backwards for 10 agonising days. They are heroes. So are the hundreds, Thai and foreigner, who supported them directly, as are the thousands who backed them actively.

The fabulously positive result of finding the boys and coach in a remote cavern of a dangerous cave was the icing on a national cake of pride. The emotional and unexpected climax to the search resulted in possibly the greatest positive outpouring of the country in memory. In the recent past, Thais have come together too often over tragedy -- the Typhoon Gay disaster of 1989, the Andaman Sea-Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004, the unspeakable grief of the death of King Bhumibol.

The search for the boys of Chiang Rai's Mae Sai district was a different unity. Even a week and a half into the operation, no one spoke of calamity. From the Royal Thai Navy Seals team ("We never will retreat from this search") to the citizen and foreign friend in the street, there was only unmitigated optimism and the certainty of success. When people saw the Seals' video with the two Englishmen connecting with the boys, there were plenty of tears of joy.

The determination to unite and to help in a crisis is a fact of real Thainess, that transcends politics and other such petty concerns. This was once again on display, starting on June 24. That was the day the nation learned that the young rascals of the rambunctious Under-16 Mae Sai football squad had disappeared inside the Tham Luang Cave of the goddess Jao Mae Nang Non.

The volunteerism immediately began, and it ran from top to bottom, through every strata and rank of Thai society, from His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun to virtually every common citizen.

The most qualified cave searchers, the navy's Underwater Demolition Team (UDT) were on their way north and setting up equipment within hours. This super-elite 144-man, military team of divers was barely the start. Within a day, military police had to set up lines to keep the volunteers orderly.

Thailand has plenty of friends. As Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and the mission coordinator, Chiang Rai governor Narongsak Osotthanakorn properly emphasised, foreign teams made a difference. Governments instantly and without thought of cost almost instantly had experts on the way to Mae Sai.

Here are eight countries who proved that a diverse and often feuding world can unite in an instant in a humanitarian effort: Britain, the United States, Japan, China, Singapore, Laos, Myanmar and Australia.

It is lamentable but factual that news in these trouble times mostly accentuates negative events and opinions. It is notable if not downright uplifting that the entire nation hoped and prayed and spoke only of the inevitable success of the search for the Mae Sai Wild Boar team.

The opening exchange between the Thai boys and the English diver, preserved on video, deserves a special place in history.

Rescuer: "How many of you?" Boy: "Thirteen." Rescuer: "Thirteen! Brilliant!"

It must be remembered that the end of the search is the beginning of the rescue. That promises to be extremely difficult. Hardship certainly lies ahead. But finding the boys and their 20-something coach and mentor assures their safety at least.

Certainly the English divers and the Seals right behind them deserve the praise and thanks they are receiving. But so do their support teams, so do the thousands of volunteers who laboured, drove trucks, minded the boys' families, cooked for everyone, manned the pumps, plotted the routes, mapped the hills, piloted the drones and performed a thousand other tasks that ultimately made the success of the operation inevitable, even if at times the mission seemed disorganised.

Editorial

Bangkok Post editorial column

These editorials represent Bangkok Post thoughts about current issues and situations.

Email : anchaleek@bangkokpost.co.th

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