'We thought it wasn't real': Thai cave boys reveal 'magical' moment British divers discovered them, and say they played hop scotch to keep spirits up - and now want to be Navy SEALs
- Soccer players and coach who spent more than two weeks trapped underground have spoken about ordeal
- Adun Sam-On, 14, revealed the moment British divers discovered them inside the cave, saying it was 'magical'
- Boys said they played hop-scotch to pass the time and tried to dig their way out of the cave using stones
- Several said they now want to become Navy SEALs in honour of their rescuers and retired SEAL who died
The Thai soccer team trapped inside a flooded cave for two weeks have spoken about their ordeal for the first time since being released from hospital on Wednesday.
Adun Sam-On, 14, revealed the 'magical' moment that two British divers discovered them deep inside the Tham Luang cave complex and said they 'didn't believe it' at first.
The boys also revealed that they played hop-scotch and tried to dig their way out in order to pass the time in the 10 days between getting stuck and being found.
One said that he feared being told off by his mother after first realising they had got stuck, while another fretted that he would not be able to finish his homework in time.
They also spoke of their guilt that Navy SEAL Saman Kunan died trying to find them, while several pledged to become SEALs in honour of him and their rescuers.
The Thai football players and their coach who were trapped underground in a flooded cave for more than two weeks have been questioned by the world's media for the first time after being released from hospital
The boys were released from hospital on Wednesday, eight days after the last team member was saved from the cave
The boys played football before sitting down to answer questions which were screen by psychologists ahead of time to avoid causing any further trauma
Eleven soccer players and their coach have left hospital eight days after the last of them were rescued from a flooded cave in Thailand where they were trapped for two weeks
The boys were dressed in their Wild Boars team kit as they were piled into waiting buses ahead of their first press conference
Sam, who spoke at a press conference alongside his teammates and coach, told of the moment British rescuers arrived, saying: 'We didn't think it was real at first, we were afraid they would walk past, so I said "hello".
'I heard "hello" first but I did not see him at first. We heard them because they got out of the water and they were saying something.
'I thought they were Thai officers but when they got out of the water I found they were English. I didn't know what to say so I said "hello".
'It was magical, I was shocked, I had to think about the question when got up he asked "how are you" and I said "we are OK". I said "can I help you?" and he said "no, just go up to the ledge.''
'They asked "how many of you". I said "13" and they said "brilliant".'
Coach Ekkapol Chantawong also revealed that all of the boys can swim, despite reports that most of them could not, and that they had never been to the cave before getting trapped - though often posted about it online.
He said they first realised they were trapped while trying to get out and seeing how far the water had risen. One boy said his first thought was that he would be scolded by his mother.
Ake said at first nobody panicked because they believed the water would recede the following day and that rescuers would come.
After he realised that would not happen, he assigned the boys shifts to dig at the back of the cave in order to find a way out, believing they could use ropes to climb to safety.
Ake, a former Buddhist monk, also advised the boys to avoid moving between digging shifts and to spend long stretches of time meditating to conserve energy.
The group survived on nothing but water running from the cave roof for 10 days before being found, with one boy saying he imagined fried rice in order to feel full.
Most of the team agreed that the experience has made them stronger as a result, and said they wanted to become professional footballers in the future.
All of the questions were screened by psychologists ahead of time to avoid causing the boys additional trauma.
'We don't know what wounds the kids are carrying in their hearts,' said justice ministry official Tawatchai Thaikaew, who asked for the boys' privacy to be respected after the discharge, for fear that media attention could affect their mental health.
'The media know the children are in a difficult situation, they have overcome peril and if you ask risky questions then it could break the law,' he told reporters.
Families of the youngsters are eagerly awaiting the homecoming.
Khameuy Promthep, the grandmother of 13-year-old Dom, one of the boys rescued from the cave, told AFP in an interview at their family shop in Mae Sai near the Myanmar border on Wednesday that she was very excited.
'This is the happiest day of my life,' she said.
The boys had previously been kept in quarantine in hospital but doctors decided to release them, saying they were in good health aside from minor infections
The Wild Boars, which is the name of their soccer team, were greeted by their friends at the provincial hall in Chiang Rai where they played football before being quizzed
Banphot Konkum, the uncle of Duangpetch Promthep, one of the boys rescued from a flooded cave, wipes his eyes as he watches his nephew on television
Banphot watched the press conference alongside other members of his emotional family on Wednesday evening in Thailand
The team had previously been kept in quarantine inside hospital amid fears they had contracted diseases during their two weeks spent trapped in a cave
While the team have delivered pre-prepared messages, including mourning for Navy SEAL Saman Kunan who drowned trying to save them, this will be the first time they have spoken live
The team spent more than two weeks trapped in the flooded Tham Luang cave before being rescued by an international team of divers
The daring Thai-led international effort to rescue the team captivated the world after the football team walked into the cave on June 23 and were trapped by rising floodwaters.
After nine days without a steady supply of food or water they were found emaciated and huddled in a group on a muddy ledge by British divers several kilometres inside Tham Luang.
Rescuers debated on the best plan to bring them out but ultimately decided on a risky operation that involved diving them through waterlogged passages while they were sedated to keep them calm and carrying them out in military-grade stretchers.
Not even the foreign cave diving specialists who took part were sure the mission would work and many expressed relief when it was all over after the final five were rescued on July 10.
The group had planned to explore the Tham Luang cave complex for about an hour after soccer practice on June 23. But a rainy season downpour flooded the tunnels, trapping them.
Two British divers found them on July 2, squatting on a mound in a chamber several kilometres inside the complex. All were brought to safety during the three-day rescue, organised by Thai navy SEALs and a global team of cave-diving experts.
Some Thai television personalities joked that the boys' appearance would boost ratings for an otherwise dull show that usually features discussions of the military government's performance.
'This is the story all Thais want to hear. Don't switch it off, don't put it on mute,' joked a presenter of Voice TV, a broadcaster that is often critical of the military government.
'It should help the Thailand Moves Forward show's ratings shoot through the roof.'
The rescue effort drew global media attention and hundreds of journalists, many of whom left after it wrapped up, but excitement picked up again in the usually sleepy town of Chiang Rai ahead of the boys' much-anticipated appearance.
'The reporters are back. I had to pick up a Japanese reporter from the airport at 2 a.m.,' said tour operator Manop Netsuwan.
A cartoon of the group with its rescuers, captioned, 'Our Heroes', was displayed on a welcome screen at the airport.
'I pass the hospital where the children are staying every day and I say a prayer to thank Lord Buddha for their return,' said Duang, a noodle vendor, who asked to be identified only by her first name.
King Maha Vajiralongkorn has allowed a party to be held in the Royal Plaza, a public square in Bangkok's old town, to thank the Thai and foreign participants in the rescue, the government said.
Earlier, Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha told reporters the celebration would feature a banquet and entertainment, but gave no further details.
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