Coach Faces Charges For Leading Boys Into Tham Luang Cave

[Thian]

1 hour ago, Get Real said:

Nobody could even imagine that such an incident would happen.

So why were there warningsigns at the entrance saying it's dangerous in the cave after 1 july ?

 

 

[BangkokSausage]

2 minutes ago, sammieuk1 said:

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.

How do you know? Nobody knows if he did anything heroic at all. These are not 5 year olds and common sense and survival instinct says move forward away from water.

lets wait and see before assuming this man was a hero and played a part in their survival

[Get Real]

56 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

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.

First, Of course I wish to gratulate you on having such a miserable life so you dare to compare a visit at the in-laws with such a level of disaster. Must be terrible for you. You have my deepest regard for you as a human being that actually can stand for that more than once.

As for the other line in your comment: Take you my dear doomsday prophet.

Edited July 3, 2018 by Get Real

[Orton Rd]

58 minutes ago, Topdoc said:

The coach did nothing wrong. 

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

so going in the week before with heavy rains forecast was not wrong, taking kids in with zero caving skills not wrong, having no equipment not wrong. Nobody is ever responsible here are they.

[Eric Loh]

7 minutes ago, Thian said:

So why were there warningsigns at the entrance saying it's dangerous in the cave after 1 july ?

 

 

Weather in Thailand always unpredictable. The Forestry Department should update daily weather forecast and put up signs accordingly. It’s their responsibility. 

[tifino]

1 hour ago, Just Weird said:

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

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

the only ones getting any praise from the television reportings;

has the Thai Navy Seals getting 'all' the praise (well, that's what one sees from CH3 anyhows)

[Bluespunk]

33 minutes ago, BangkokSausage said:

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

Though I sometimes think it should be, it is not a crime to be an idiot. 

 

The guy messed up, and probably could do with a course on risk assessment, however it is probably due to his leadership the kids are still alive

[holy cow cm]

He was entrusted with the kids for soccer, not to go to a cave. It was bad judgement and bad luck as 

he has it that this happened. The parks should be responsible for better notices and protection against this, and so better warning signs and even a closed sign should have been installed at least one month ago as the rains actually started. But no, if he is charged then so should the Governor. 

[chrisinth]

2 hours ago, Eric Loh said:

Charge the Forest Department for not putting sufficient warning signs.

That I agree with. The signage at the entrance to the cave system clearly states that the 'rainy' period starts in July. The kids and coach entered in June. As some of them had done for the previous 3/4 years without incident.

 

If it was deemed to be dangerous outside the limitations on the signs, why wasn't it closed or at least monitored?

 

Just imagine a tourist father with his 15 yo son wanting to explore the caves. He reads the sign that the rainy season is between July and November, carries on into the cave and is caught out by the flash flooding. The same scenario, but you would never have the hypothetical father facing charges would you?

 

I know others will disagree with the above but IMO, laying the blame on the assistant coach for this is insane.

[anon7867763]

The coach may well have been a hero keeping the young kids hopes up and taking care of them inside the cave, he has and is also going through hell. What a stupid thing to talk about charging him at this stage. Dumber than dumb.

[Lupatria]

2 hours ago, Eric Loh said:

Charge the Forest Department for not putting sufficient warning signs.

I found it grotesque that these guys relate the closing of the cave to the "official" date of the beginning of the rain season, instead according to the actual weather condition. Now blaming the coach just means the search for the weakest link was successful.

[Basil B]

2 hours ago, smedly said:

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

Agree...

 

But lets look at the incompetence and bureaucracy (and corruption) that has also delayed and hampered the rescue.

 

When they get the last person out then it is time for a full debrief and open enquiry.

[peperobi]

I don't think is it necessary, the young boy had to endure the fear for his life and that of the twelve boys, it seems enough to me. Charge someone else that has to take his work seriously!

[upu2]

1 hour ago, darksidedog said:

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.

To be honest the coaches ability to control that number of children in the situation they faced looked very, very bad indeed. Credit to him though he made sure they were are in a position of safety and managed to keep them all calm. That is a feat in its right and he should be commended for his actions

[mok199]

yes this circus will continue for months...as reporters and media try and get exclusives and dig up dirt..lets hope it doesn't go all ''Nancy Grace ''Hard copy'',''HollywoodTabloids on steriods''..leave it be ,a dramatic and interesting rescue with a waltdisney ending ,but as they say ''never let a good story go to waste''...

Edited July 3, 2018 by mok199
speliings

[trainman34014]

He will be seen by most Thai's as a Hero and not a villain.  His judgement was obviously bad at the outset by taking the boys in there to start with but that has been wiped away by his ability to keep them all stable and in a safe place.   Ok; his bad judgement has cost millions and with worse luck and/or conditions could have cost not just the lives of the boys and himself but lives of people trying to rescue them as well. 

 

 However; it's all coming to what we hope is a satisfactory end and mark my words, this 'Coach' and all the boys will be meeting the Big Pumpkin and his Cronies who will want to wallow in the success of a brilliant rescue operation led by fearless Thai Navy Seals and overseen by the finest Directing Government Officials, whilst everyone concerned will be wearing added medal ribbons.   The Junta will play big on this one leading up to the election, be it sooner or later.

[wombat]

3 hours ago, jaltsc said:

"...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. 

holy batman, i am so glad i didn't have a cotton wool coated youth.

[moe666]

Poor decision by the coach but since he is not a weatherman could not predict the rain. What he did has not become criminal as no one has died, just a poor ass decision. 

 

Happy for the families there children are ok and will be reunited soon. Could have been one sad ending

[theoldgit]

Troll post removed

[Jingthing]

Get them all out alive first. 

I can't see him as a hero for saving them when he was the one that led them into danger in a foolhardy way.

But I seriously doubt there is any law on the books that would apply here.

I do think that they might consider getting a bit more "Nanny state" about such expeditions so such risks aren't taken again.

[chainarong]

At this point in time can we just wait untill all the boys are out of the cave , and whats more,  Thailand has just caught the eye of the international Caving crowd , , maybe under the curcumstances the coach has learnt his lesson.

[greenchair]

The sign says July to November. They should look into themselves and see if their failure to warn to public with their crappy misleading warning might be malfeasance. 

[chainarong]

48 minutes ago, moe666 said:

Poor decision by the coach but since he is not a weatherman could not predict the rain. What he did has not become criminal as no one has died, just a poor ass decision. 

 

Happy for the families there children are ok and will be reunited soon. Could have been one sad ending

Having seen the aftermarth of water inrush in underground mining I did'nt hold any hope for the boys , great outcome for all.

[Hockeybik]

4 hours 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

Well said seajae.  I'll be the first to donate to the guy's legal defense fund and nominate him for a medal. Well done keeping those boys together and alive.

[Jingthing]

I also don't think he should be charged.

I do have a question though. 

My personal experience talking to Thai people about this (before they were found) is that it is the widespread opinion of Thai people that the coach is to blame.

Do you think that's true? 

My response was, well if he gets out alive, then worry about that then. 

Edited July 3, 2018 by Jingthing

[Jingthing]

1 minute ago, fakename said:

Just think of all the kids that hop in the car with a dad, that doesnt even have a license or experience or intelligence. Should all these dads be put in jail? 

Not sure about jail, but driving without a license is illegal, so whatever the law is about that, yes those Dads would be liable. Experience and intelligence aren't legal matters. I don't see your point really. A coach isn't family. Did he get parental permissions for this trip? I think not and maybe not part of the culture here, but maybe it should be. 

 

 

[maximillian]

5 hours ago, Eric Loh said:

Charge the Forest Department for not putting sufficient warning signs.

 

Warning signs ?  They should have kept the cave shut and only open it for a visit with a guide.

[rebo]

Since the boys were found I read more and more posts now which, since they can’t bicker much anymore about the bad rescue management or hundred other things, are pouncing on the soccer coach like hyenas.
These posts are not less shortsighted than this guy when he went together with his team into the cave!
Many of us complain about the poor education system in the kingdom, suppressing development of own opinion, hindering critical thinking and/or become able to take a view outside the square.
What do you expect from a 20 yo countryside guy like him grown up in this system who most probably never learned to plan for much longer than the present moment?
IMHO you these voices are simply unfair. This man spends a significant part of his free time trying to show his team alternatives to what far too much youngsters waste their time with these days: video gaming, chilling, drugging, only to mention a few common habits young boys born into the middle of nowhere tend to satisfy themselves with.
Even though it may sound contradictory in this case: Exploring caves in addition to train a group of boys how to play soccer is probably a more useful approach to teach young people about life than the current Thai school system; you can’t cheat, and show off only by your own performance, you learn about responsibility for yourself and others as well as natural sciences, and sometimes the hard way …
Admitted --- it went wrong this time, and could have ended fatally. As so many activities you see tens of times around you on a daily basis living in Thailand … But fortunately it did not.
So – I simply request to think a little bit merciful about this young man. He will have learned an important lesson, together with the population of the entire kingdom, maybe even the government to close dangerous places during the rainy season …
I for myself feel deepest sympathy for the Wild Boar’s team leader and hope that at least the Thai population show the empathy for him even he deserves even though he made a mistake this time.

[Jingthing]

Please don't groan as this isn't political, but the fact is there is a global trend for formerly predictable weather patterns to be less predictable.

So "rainy season" for the last 100 years may not be "rainy season" now and going forward. Something else to consider with redesigning warning signs and closures. 

I think he led the boys in during a time just before the sign warned against entering. That was already questionable but given this new unpredictability even more so. 

Edited July 3, 2018 by Jingthing

[Trujillo]

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

 

You have to understand that the English language papers here are staffed by people who wouldn't know proper grammar and sentence construction from a sack of hammers. I don't think they are trying to exaggerate, they simply don't have a good enough grasp of the language to competently copy edit in English.