Tham Luang cave: Minister Weerasak recounts how international rescuers were brought in

[webfact]

Minister Weerasak recounts how international rescuers were brought in

By Thai PBS

 

 

International rescuers, British cave divers in particular, played as much a crucial role as the Thai Navy SEALs in the successful search and rescue of the 12 Wild Boars footballers and their coach from deep inside the Tham Luang cave in Chiang Rai’s Mae Sai province.

 

But how many of us knew how these top-notch rescuers came to Thailand to take part in the mission that most of them were unsure that it would be 100 percent successful?  Who was responsible for bringing them together?

 

Shedding the light to the two questions, Tourism and Sports Minister Weerasak Kowsurat said that bringing together these world-class rescuers was as much a matter of pure luck as the rescue operation which was a matter of skills of both the Thai Navy SEALs and the international team of rescuers.

 

According to Mr. Weerasak, it all started with British cave diver Vernon Unsworth, a long-time resident in Chiang Rai, who suggested that British cave divers should be brought in to help and he knew one of them, Robert Harper, who used to explore Tham Luang cave not long ago.

 

Full story: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/minister-weerasak-recounts-international-rescuers-brought/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2018-07-23

[ezzra]

Tell it again please, like we haven't heard all those stories and more time and time again,yes, big Hooray to everyone and many Kob Kun Krub / ขอบคุณครับ..... 

[bluesofa]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

International rescuers, British cave divers in particular, played as much a crucial role as the Thai Navy SEALs

Even while the drama was going on, every time I saw the phrase 'International Rescue', I just couldn't but think of Thunderbirds from the 1960s - the Gerry Anderson kids programme:

 

[Spidey]

51 minutes ago, bluesofa said:

Even while the drama was going on, every time I saw the phrase 'International Rescue', I just couldn't but think of Thunderbirds from the 1960s - the Gerry Anderson kids programme:

 

Throughout the drama, I couldn't understand why they hadn't put a call in to Interational Rescue.

 

Scott would have been on site in minutes with Thunderbird 1, assessed the situation and called for Virgil in Thunderbird 2.

 

He would have brought pod 4/ Thunderbird 4 and Gordon. However, it would have proved completely useless in the tight spaces of the cave (where have we heard that before?).

 

Virgil would have then made a quick trip to Tracy Island and returned with pod 3 containing the mole. This would have cut through the rock like a knife through butter and would have extracted the kids in minutes.

 

I never saw a rescue that took them more than 30 minutes, so the boys could have been home in time for supper.

 

Another upside would have been that it would have been performed solely by Americans, who could have crowed about it for....centuries. Imagine the superlatives that Donald could have used in his tweets. "Cofveve to my guys, making America great again, wonderful cofveve!"

Edited July 23, 2018 by Spidey

[bluesofa]

17 minutes ago, Spidey said:

Throughout the drama, I couldn't understand why they hadn't put a call in to Interational Rescue.

 

Scott would have been on site in minutes with Thunderbird 1, assessed the situation and called for Virgil in Thunderbird 2.

 

He would have brought pod 4/ Thunderbird 4 and Gordon. However, it would have proved completely useless in the tight spaces of the cave (where have we heard that before?).

 

Virgil would have then made a quick trip to Tracy Island and returned with pod 3 containing the mole. This would have cut through the rock like a knife through butter and would have extracted the kids in minutes.

 

I never saw a rescue that took them more than 30 minutes, so the boys could have been home in time for supper.

 

Another upside would have been that it would have been performed solely by Americans, who could have crowed about it for....centuries. Imagine the superlatives that Donald could have used in his tweets. "Cofveve to my guys, making America great again, wonderful cofveve!"

Ha ha ha!

An excellent synopsis of the upcoming "Thunderbirds Cave 13" episode.

I'm sure Brains would have had the foresight to adapt Pod 4 by invoking its 'flexi-diving' ^TM capabilities.

 

Of course in reality Thunderbirds being a British production would no doubt rely on sarcasm for the "Trump effect", showing him wearing an amended baseball cap declaring "Make America Great Britain Again".

 

Edited July 23, 2018 by bluesofa
grammar

[Spidey]

5 minutes ago, bluesofa said:

I'm sure Brains would have had the foresight to adapt Pod 4 by invoking its 'flexi-diving' ^TM capabilities

When they created Elon Musk (if you watch videos of him he's clearly an android) he was modelled on Brains. They should have asked Gerry and Sylvia Anderson to create him, would have been a much better product.

[Muhendis]

I thought this might have been an explanation about how the international rescuers got their visas etc.

Edited July 23, 2018 by Muhendis

[bluesofa]

12 minutes ago, Spidey said:

When they created Elon Musk (if you watch videos of him he's clearly an android) he was modelled on Brains. They should have asked Gerry and Sylvia Anderson to create him, would have been a much better product.

I thought they had? When the  light catches him at a certain angle, I'm sure you can see the strings.

 

[Spidey]

Just now, Muhendis said:

I thought this might have been an explanation about how the international rescuers git their visas etc.

You think too mutt.

[Eric Loh]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Shedding the light to the two questions, Tourism and Sports Minister Weerasak Kowsurat said that bringing together these world-class rescuers was as much a matter of pure luck as the rescue operation which was a matter of skills of both the Thai Navy SEALs and the international team of rescuers.

 

Give him credit for being honest and not claiming credit to the foresight and intelligence of Prayut, Prawit or Anupong all of which contributed nothing to the rescue. 

[Juan B Tong]

MEMO:

For photo ops.

Traditional costumes out

Western clothing in

 

[Chris Lawrence]

20 minutes ago, Eric Loh said:

Give him credit for being honest and not claiming credit to the foresight and intelligence of Prayut, Prawit or Anupong all of which contributed nothing to the rescue. 

Maybe a very little only Eric. Someone got them into the country quick smart, but it may have been Vern? Who knows. This is a kudos nightmare.

[overherebc]

1 hour ago, bluesofa said:

I thought they had? When the  light catches him at a certain angle, I'm sure you can see the strings.

 

True, but fewer strings. The most important one operating his jaw.

Edited July 23, 2018 by overherebc

[bluesofa]

4 minutes ago, overherebc said:

True, but fewer strings. The most important one operating his jaw.

I thought the jaw was on a remote control - via a Twitter-pad?

 

[tifino]

 

so... the Minister plays 'up' the foreigner influence,

at the expense of playing 'down' the Thai angle

 

 - as this then 'nullifies' whatever good input the previous 'out of favour' Governer, contributed. 

[connda]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

According to Mr. Weerasak, it all started with British cave diver Vernon Unsworth, a long-time resident in Chiang Rai, who suggested that British cave divers should be brought in to help and he knew one of them, Robert Harper, who used to explore Tham Luang cave not long ago.

 

.....and unlike the tsunami relief effort, the authority didn't get their noses bent out of shape about foreigners volunteering in Thailand.  Perhaps someone learned something from that unmitigated disaster in 2004.

[lamyai3]

12 hours ago, bluesofa said:

Ha ha ha!

An excellent synopsis of the upcoming "Thunderbirds Cave 13" episode.

I'm sure Brains would have had the foresight to adapt Pod 4 by invoking its 'flexi-diving' ^TM capabilities.

 

Not sure if it's possible to access the whole article, but this was also Clarkson's thème du jour in The Times yesterday...

 

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/jeremy-clarkson-thunderbirds-are-go-but-elon-brains-musk-needs-rescuing-from-himself-x5d79hgxw

Edited July 23, 2018 by lamyai3

[bluesofa]

38 minutes ago, lamyai3 said:

Not sure if it's possible to access the whole article, but this was also Clarkson's thème du jour in The Times yesterday...

 

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/jeremy-clarkson-thunderbirds-are-go-but-elon-brains-musk-needs-rescuing-from-himself-x5d79hgxw

I had no idea! Not that I can read more than the first paragraph anyway.

 

[lamyai3]

3 hours ago, bluesofa said:

I had no idea! Not that I can read more than the first paragraph anyway.

 

They do have a history - Musk tried to sue the BBC and lost after Clarkson mocked the Tesla car batteries in a road test back in 2011. So (spoiler alert) after various detours and considerations, Clarkson's Times article concludes with him hoping that Unsworth does sue. Here's the back story... 

 

https://www.inverse.com/article/39254-elon-musk-slammed-as-petulant-by-jeremy-clarkson-over-tesla-lawsuit