Thailand: Children of Gerette Cave declare for the first time – Panorama

• Eight days after the happy ending of the drama of the cave in Thailand, the twelve boys of the saved football team are allowed to return home.
• At a press conference, the team returns to the public for the first time. tells how they lived their salvation that threatens their lives.

Their faces change as they are interrogated about the dead diver. For nearly an hour, the twelve boys and their coaches, who were rescued from Tham Luang Cave in Thailand more than a week ago, smiled and laughed – to watch live at the television. They had kicked, showed signs of peace, and savored the applause that had greeted them when they had come to the press conference – their first public appearance since their departure. The questions put there had already been submitted and recognized by psychologists. And then comes the question of Saman Kunan. Nobody smiles, no one laughs.

"In the dark, we tried to stay as calm as possible"

The 37-year-old man had already completed his military service, had returned specifically to save the team from football trapped. drowned after running out of oxygen, he placed bottles of compressed air in the cave to retrieve the footballers. Survivors learned about it only last weekend. Because of their poor physical and mental condition, the doctors wanted to protect them. "This news has been a shock to us," says Ekaphol Chantawong, the 25-year-old coach who drove his team into the cave. "To be responsible for his death, to have caused this loss to his family has made us very sad."

The coach also had to answer the question of why the team had made the trip to the grotto. He said that he had followed the wishes of his players. Some of them have already been in the cave, others have not, so they wanted to go as a team, says Ekaphol, whom everyone calls Ake. "I told the boys that we only had an hour and we had to leave" – ​​because one of the footballers had to help. But then came the rain. They had not heard, only suddenly realized that the water was rising, the boys say. Suddenly, they should have been swimming to go ahead. By the way, everyone could swim, says Ake. Some are better, others worse.

At some point they would have realized that they would not be out. So they looked for a place that seemed safe and decided to wait there for the next day. Then, the water would flow safely. I did not do it. And the footballers and their coach did not have any food. They drank water dripping from the ceiling. They tried to break free. "At least we had something to do," they say. They had flashlights with them, but soon the batteries were empty. "In the dark, we tried to stay as calm as possible," says Ake. They did not want to miss the calls of the potential rescuers.

After the second day, they were hungry, trying not to think about food, they say. For another eight days. Then, finally, they heard voices. "At first we did not think of them as real," says 14-year-old Dul. He was the one who first spoke to incoming divers. "I was surprised that it was not Thai who came to us." That moment, when a British rescue diver asked her how much she held, had seemed like a miracle to him. Then came more divers, who brought them food, played with them, and prepared them for their help. None of the boys had to go out first, says coach Ake. "We were so familiar with each other now."

17 days after the catastrophic trip, all the boys were finally rescued. Now they are healthy enough to leave the Chiang Rai Provincial Hospital. The experiences in the dark have shaped it for his life. What they want to do with, boys are invited. At least now they can laugh again. "I must first apologize to my parents," said one boy. "I just told them I'm going to soccer, not that we're going to the cellar after that." This seems to be similar to some others, they shake vigorously. "I want to be a good member of society," they say. "I've learned to be more careful, to better plan my actions," says another. Coach Ake says, "We must rethink our actions and appreciate the kindness of our fellows." Four of the boys say that they want to become a marine diver. Many members of the public applaud.