Police Search For Students Missing In Jungle

[george]

Police continue search for students missing in jungle

PHATTALUNG: -- Police in the southern province of Phattalung announced today that they had established a search centre to help find 13 Bangkok students who have been lost in the local jungle since 15 April.

Pol. Maj. Amnuay Choosong, commander of the local border police force, said that the search party was now thought to be nearing the group, which became lost in the Khao Jet Yod jungle when its leader was injured.

In order to facilitate the search, he said, the police had now established a search facilitation centre in Kongra district, and had requested helicopters from police based in Songkhla.

--TNA 2005-04-17

[astral]

How come they know the leader is injured if the students are lost??

This story does not ring true.

Or is this another case of dumb teachers sending the students off without proper supervision,

and the most basic instruction to STAY TOGETHER in the event of a problem?

[The_Other_Mac]

How come they know the leader is injured if the students are lost??

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Cos one of them called their Daddy on their mobile phone -

> the police had now established a search facilitation centre in Kongra district

- and Daddy's a friend of someone in TNA, so he got someone to tell someone who left a message on someone's voicemail who sent an SMS to Pol. Maj. Amnuay Choosong, whose wife thought it was from his mia noi, read it and sobered him up long enough to shout at Pongsak and Somsak to stop playing around, get that barrel down from the police pickup, and establish a search facilitation centre -

> the search party was now thought to be nearing the group

- which got as far as the Khao Jet Yod National Park gate and last anyone heard, were still arguing with the gatekeepers over whether they should pay the 10 baht entrance fee. Meanwhile the daughter called again to say that actually a family in a minivan had picked them up while they were still lost and confused in front of the map that the Forest Ranger forgot to put the "You are here" sticker onto; and were driving them home.

> the police had [...] requested helicopters from police based in Songkhla.

Amnuay called up his old classmate, now in Songkhla, and they had a good laugh about the whole thing and joked that Amnuay should place a request for a couple of helicopters so they can have a whiskey-fuelled, mid-air Songkran bash...

[george]

Update:

Nine lost mountain trekkers rescued

PHATTALUNG: -- Thai border patrol police have rescued nine university students and their guide lost in the jungle for almost 20 hours, according to local officials.

The students ran into trouble after the trekking guide was injured by a falling tree branch.

A team of soldiers and local residents spent nearly 20 hours searching for the students in Khao Jed Yod Mountain in Kong Ra district of the country's southern province of Phattalung after receiving a distress call from a mobile phone, a senior local police officer, Pol. Capt. Pipop Promyok, told journalists on Monday.

The search began late on Saturday night, the border policeman said.

“The rescue mission was conducted in very difficult conditions. The rescue teams had to trek through steep and rugged mountains in the dark,” he said.

The students were in good spirits when they were found and had survived the ordeal on dry food supplies they had brought with them, Pol. Capt Pipop said.

The students told officials that they did not lose their way, but had to stop and get help after their guide was injured by the falling tree branch.

The 18-year-old guide, Komchak Klinpakdee, reportedly suffered a dislocated shoulder and is receiving treatment at the Kong Ra Hospital.

The students were from Thammasart and Prince of Songkhla Universities.

Khao Jed Yod Mountain attracts many trekkers and campers during the dry season.

It is located between Thailand''s three southern provinces of Phattalung, Songkhla and Satun.

--TNA 2005-04-18