Yep, I guess it could have been the incense sticks and offerings people left at the mouth of the cave.
Or it could have been the skill, experience and training of the Thai navy seal divers who actually rescured the kids.
I guess we will just never know, eh?
arsenal (December 4th, 2018)
Writing is awful, this GQ writer should come here, and learn writing from our own frequent and snotface!
But the way he is imressed and genuinely admires the uneducated locals going to pray to "cave spirit", bringing it offeringsis just disgusting. Author seems to be Westerner, maybe the local colour and traditions blow him away, but may just as well write a story about wooden Maiden Maria "crying" tears in some church in Mexico.
Science, engineering and human scill and courage saved those kids, not candles and rice bowls from villagers.
Thai Navy Seal drowned, cdnmatt, Western divers saved those kids.
If I was prosecuter in that province, I would have brought criminal charges against the football coatch. He was only adult, kids depended on him, but he chose to climb into a hole, hundreds of meters, and spending so much time in cave, that water level had risen. It is one thing to peak in, exciting maybe, but if he wanted to see how deep it goes, go alone! Don't take group of kids with you, walking to what would have been easily death for all of them. Prosecute him, and give it wide publicity, so next dumbbag who feels like experimenting maybe thinks before risking children's lives.
And close up that cave! Instead of bringing candles and rice bowls, villagers should bring tools and shut this death trap!
Awful article.
I don't know, but the article came off to me as though it was written by some 22 year old female in the UK who has never actually experienced life or this world.
As for the coach -- he made a mistake, nothing more. And a mistake I'm sure he regrets quite deeply. There's no reason at all to prosecute him. Sometimes bad shit happens in life, doesn't mean you need to run around looking for who to blame.
He'd be prosecuted in the UK and receive the expected press kicking.
No reason to prosecute him?
As a teacher, he is responsible for safety of these children. In US it is called endangering the welfare of a child.
Not everyone can be trusted with safety of children, hopefully you will never be trusted with children, remember, very casually you were about to adopt "couple of kids" in Laos. You can't be trusted to take care of dogs, you should not be trusted to take care of children.
You say bad shit sometimes just happens in life. This is not one of those times. Teacher put these children in danger, knowingly. If the whole group had slipped into the cave, then you could say "bad shit happens", he walked them into the cave. This wasn't an accident.
Just like you, knowingly over staying, knowing it will result in your arrest and deportation, yet you had animals that depended on you. You didn't give a shit, just like this teacher.
francois (December 5th, 2018)