Coach Faces Charges For Leading Boys Into Tham Luang Cave

[webfact]

Coach Faces Charges For Leading Boys Into Cave

By Teeranai Charuvastra, Staff Reporter

 

A photo of the 12 young footballers and their coach provided by the authorities.

 

CHIANG RAI — Police said Tuesday they will look into whether a 25-year-old coach of a youth football team could face legal action for leading them into a cave complex where they were stranded 10 days.

 

Col. Komsan Saard-an, chief of Mae Sai Police Station, declined to confirm or rule out charges of negligence against Ekapol “Aek” Chanthawong, who led the group of 12 boys on the excursion into the Tham Luang Nang Non complex.

 

Full story: http://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/crimecourtscalamity/calamity/2018/07/03/coach-faces-charges-for-leading-boys-into-cave/

 

-- © Copyright Khaosod English 2018-07-03

[smedly]

5 minutes ago, webfact said:

Coach Faces Charges For Leading Boys Into Cave

Agree but it is hardly the right time for that sort of talk 

[steve73]

Police said, "..will look into.." and "..could.." face charges....ie. uncertainty.

 

But the headline states this as "Coach Faces Charges..."...ie. certainty.

 

It really annoys me how the press exaggerate almost everything just to make it all more dramatic.

 

I agree that now is not yet the right time - let's get them all safely out first.

 

 

[Eric Loh]

Charge the Forest Department for not putting sufficient warning signs.

[seajae]

police trying to get some of the admiration the rescue workers are, they are the ones that like to be front and centre and are upset they are missing out. From all reports the coach has taken them there before so it was nothing different and with no warnings prior to them doing so, the fact he has held them all together and made sure they survived shows he did the right things once they were trapped, cant blame him for not having the ability to see what was going to happen after they went in there. While it may be looked back at with a bit of a query the fact they had done the same thing previously makes it hard to push any charges especially as most thais are extremely superstitious which is why they went in there in the first place

[jaltsc]

"...coach of a youth football team could face legal action for leading them into a cave complex where they were stranded 10 days."

And he should, along with any official who had previous knowledge that the youths were being led into a cave by someone who had no training in caving and yet was treated as an "expert" due to his status as a coach. 

Unfortunately, it happens all to often that no one questions someone's qualifications due to that person's standing in the community. It's the same old losing face trumps safety. Fortunately, this fiasco did not turn into a fatal ending. However, there is no guarantee that someone else will not make a bone headed move like this in the future and the outcome will not by as fortunate as this one. 

Edited July 3, 2018 by jaltsc

[canopy]

It appears the badgering press is the reason for this poorly timed headline. If you read the article the police response is: “I decline to answer this issue for now”

 

[evadgib]

IMO the coach has had a crash course in leadership which has kept everyone alive. Whether they should have been there in the first place is a different matter but there's no need for the Peacocks to start strutting just yet.

[Thailand]

Keystone timing of epic proportions.

[AleG]

17 minutes ago, canopy said:

It appears the badgering press is the reason for this poorly timed headline. If you read the article the police response is: “I decline to answer this issue for now”

 

Isn't that typical?
1) Press someone into making a statement.

2) Spin it in a way that generates outrage.
3) Profit.

[Just Weird]

43 minutes ago, seajae said:

police trying to get some of the admiration the rescue workers are, they are the ones that like to be front and centre and are upset they are missing out. From all reports the coach has taken them there before so it was nothing different and with no warnings prior to them doing so, the fact he has held them all together and made sure they survived shows he did the right things once they were trapped, cant blame him for not having the ability to see what was going to happen after they went in there. While it may be looked back at with a bit of a query the fact they had done the same thing previously makes it hard to push any charges especially as most thais are extremely superstitious which is why they went in there in the first place

"police trying to get some of the admiration the rescue workers are..."

Nonsense, the media are claiming something that the police have not said!

[darksidedog]

I suspect he may well turn out to be the hero who kept a level head and made sure the boys kept theirs too. When they were stuck, he took them to higher ground and they are all alive. On their own, the boys might have tried something foolish. They had been there before without incident, so I feel, especially since they are not even out yet, that such talk is absolutely uncalled for. The Press should stop such rot.

[NanLaew]

45 minutes ago, jaltsc said:

Fortunately, this fiasco did not turn into a fatal ending.

The kids and the coach are STILL in a hole in the ground.

[Get Real]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Coach Faces Charges For Leading Boys Into Cave

I sincerely hope they forget that. This guy is a hero! He just did as several other times, and took the boys for somthing fun to do. Nobody could even imagine that such an incident would happen.
I do hope that the parents of the children will stand up behind their coach and tell the world about the great man he is.

Edited July 3, 2018 by Get Real

[davehowden]

"Coach Faces Charges For Leading Boys Into Cave

By Teeranai Charuvastra, Staff Reporter  "

 

Hope this guy gets hauled up by the police for spreading false information.

[Get Real]

12 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

The kids and the coach are STILL in a hole in the ground.

Yes, but with help, first aid, drinking water and food. I just hope you can se the difference. If not, I recommend practise in a half waterfilled cellar, sitting on a table without food and only having rainwater and no electricity for about 10 days.

Edited July 3, 2018 by Get Real

[Orton Rd]

51 minutes ago, Eric Loh said:

Charge the Forest Department for not putting sufficient warning signs.

What about signs warning about using your brain and not going in when the rainy season is here

 

3 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

The kids and the coach are STILL in a hole in the ground.

Thanks to the idiot who took 12 kids in flip flops there, he should face charges and man slaughter if anyone dies

[NanLaew]

49 minutes ago, Eric Loh said:

Charge the Forest Department for not putting sufficient warning signs.

The media can't say as much up front, but I would reckon that the kids relatives are probably more angry at the the FD's total lack of duty of care in leaving the cave access open rather than with the coach. There's the draconian defamation laws here and the FD being a government department, probably have all the usual deflections in place. However, since the police themselves haven't publicly raised this possibility of prosecuting the coach, maybe it's a subtle way for the media to ultimately point a finger at the FD and NOT get hauled off to jail?

[NanLaew]

5 minutes ago, Get Real said:

Yes, but with help, first aid, drinking water and food. I just hope you can se the difference. If not, I recommend practise in an half waterfilled cellar, sitting on a table without food and only having rainwater and no electricity for about 10 days.

No need for that, I have spent summers visiting with the in-laws more than once.

 

I was just pointing out to jaltsc that the fat lady hasn't sung on this one yet.

[Topdoc]

The coach did nothing wrong. 

The warning signs stipulate flooding danger from JULY to NOVEMBER but the boys went exploring in JUNE

[NanLaew]

8 minutes ago, Orton Rd said:

What about signs warning about using your brain and not going in when the rainy season is here

 

Thanks to the idiot who took 12 kids in flip flops there, he should face charges and man slaughter if anyone dies

Oh dear, obey the signs. Did that notional "Keep off the grass!" advisory ever really work for you?

 

Once again, the coach and the kids have been in and out of the caves more times than you've had somtam mai-phet and their familiarity and his guidance is what probably saved them from getting washed away and drowned in a subterranean cavern last week. Yes it was poor judgement and yes they could all have perished but (so far) they haven't so get off your high judicial horse and stop with the stupid witch hunt. It's not good for your blood pressure either.

[colinneil]

Komsan has been sitting there fuming, bloody bosses come up here from Bangkok getting all the media attention.

I am the local police chief what attention have i got? Answer none.

Well i will soon fix that, i will announce the coach will face charges.

What do i care about inappropriate timing, do it now while the media are here and waiting for more news about the boys

[NanLaew]

1 minute ago, colinneil said:

Well i will soon fix that, i will announce the coach will face charges.

...except he hasn't.

[colinneil]

1 minute ago, NanLaew said:

...except he hasn't.

 

1 minute ago, NanLaew said:

...except he hasn't.

Maybe you need new glasses, i never said he had.

Edited July 3, 2018 by colinneil

[Bluespunk]

2 minutes ago, colinneil said:

Komsan has been sitting there fuming, bloody bosses come up here from Bangkok getting all the media attention.

I am the local police chief what attention have i got? Answer none.

Well i will soon fix that, i will announce the coach will face charges.

What do i care about inappropriate timing, do it now while the media are here and waiting for more news about the boys

To be fair to this guy (and you know I really don’t trust or like the bib), this case seems to be someone making up a headline that has nothing to do with the facts reported in the story. 

[Nowisee]

26 minutes ago, Get Real said:

I sincerely hope they forget that. This guy is a hero! He just did as several other times, and took the boys for somthing fun to do. Nobody could even imagine that such an incident would happen.
I do hope that the parents of the children will stand up behind their coach and tell the world about the great man he is.

 

I agree.

There was no malice or intent in what he did...IF he forced them into the cave that is another issue.  

He could very well be the one that had them keep moving as the waters came in.  
I can imagine he questions his decision every day.  He doesn't need a hanging.  This is craziness.

 

 

 

 

[Odysseus123]

8 minutes ago, Bluespunk said:

To be fair to this guy (and you know I really don’t trust or like the bib), this case seems to be someone making up a headline that has nothing to do with the facts reported in the story. 

Agreed...

Let's get 'em out and back to their families.

[BangkokSausage]

Did he break any law? If so he should be charged . There has to be a strong message sent to others. His actions were idiotic in the extreme and I hope for his own sake they all make it out alive

[Vacuum]

Now that the kids are found, let's find a scapegoat. Gotta love media.....

Edited July 3, 2018 by Vacuum

[sammieuk1]

Now I posted the same on day one he should face charges but not now he has made a big error in judgement going in there but rectified his mistake against all odds by keeping the boys together and alive he has gone from zero to hero in abysmal circumstances well done.