After a long layoff a boxer was asked if it took him a long time to prepare for this fight? He replied, "If you stay ready you don't have to get ready."
When the chief of police arrived at the cave, dressed in full fig, the Army general in charge of the operation asked him, "Why are you dressed like that, are you going to make an arrest?"
Thai officials believe 12 boys missing in cave are alive
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Re: Thai officials believe 12 boys missing in cave are alive
Netizens react to cast of characters thrown up during rescue bid
https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/genera ... recent_box
Over the past week of frantic efforts to locate the missing 12 school footballers and their coach in Tham Luang cave in Chiang Rai, many of the participants in the unfolding story have been portrayed on social media as either heroes or villains.
Deputy national police chief Srivara Ransibrahmanakul, for example, has come under fire after being caught in some video clips showing an apparently fastidious adherence to protocol.
Angry netizens lambasted Pol Gen Srivara for seemingly making life more difficult for the rescue workers in the clips which were widely shared on social media.
In one clip, Pol Gen Srivara was shown demanding to see a drone that was used to search the cave before asking his subordinate: "Is there an operating licence? [for the drone] If not, you might be punished."
He was also criticised for saying those responsible for implementing the idea of using a drone should consult the laws concerned before proceeding, as well as questioning why no one told the parents of the missing youths to formally lodge a complaint with police so they are fully protected under the law.
Following the huge wave of criticism directed against him, Pol Gen Srivara defended himself in an interview on Friday, saying he hadn't done anything wrong and had only tried to set a good example of how state officials should conduct themselves in a crisis.
State officials are required to follow strict protocols otherwise their departments are not eligible for the disbursement of state budget for the work they have done, he said, adding that disaster mitigation doesn't override other laws.
"If the rest of the society believes I have not carried out my duties correctly, I apologise. However, I have done nothing wrong, and only tried to be professional as I am the one who must give out the instructions," he said.
But to Wibulthon Kamolnaruemeth and many social media users, the way Pol Gen Srivara has been seen behaving in those clips justifies their calls for him to be removed from his position.
Mr Wibulthon, a Bangkok resident, on Friday night posted on Facebook calling on Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to consider dismissing Pol Gen Srivara from his job. He also asked those who agreed with him to comment in support.
The post got more than 400,000 likes and received more than 192,000 comments as of press time yesterday.
Reaction to Pol Gen Srivara's much-criticised role in the rescue operation was in stark contrast to those officials hailed by the netizens as heroes of the hour.
Among them is national police chief Chakthip Chaijinda who was captured in some pictures, which also went viral, travelling on foot uphill across difficult terrain to where his team had abseiled down a shaft to lower food, drink and other necessary items.
Similar praise was directed at deputy police chief, Wirachai Songmetta, who climbed Doi Pha Mee with another police team to reach the other end of the cave network.
Meanwhile, another official to have received the backing of social media users is Chiang Rai governor Narongsak Osotthanakorn, whose leadership and decisiveness in the operation at the cave have been evident.
The public's respect for these officials has been reflected in the number of times their biographies and careers have been detailed both online and in print.
Pol Gen Chakthip's shaft exploration operation made headlines in both mainstream and online media. These reports were accompanied by accounts of his impressive track record.
He has been lauded as a successful crime suppression officer who played an important role in several incidents including negotiating the release of hostages taken during a jailbreak staged by several Myanmar inmates at Samut Sakhon prison in 2000.
During his time as a deputy chief of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, Pol Gen Chakthip was dubbed the "tear gas gentleman" when he led a police operation to disperse a group from the People's Alliance for Democracy outside parliament and was seen taking off his own shirt to provide first aid to an injured protester.
The motto with which he goes about his duties also won the hearts of the watching public: "As a commander, be a fertiliser not an insecticide. Make your subordinates grow wherever you go, and don't let them die."
Mr Narongsak, meanwhile, earned praise for being a man of his word as well as sacrificing his time and energy throughout the duration of the crisis after saying he was treating the missing 13 people as if they were his own family and pledging do whatever it takes to find them.
"Some asked me why I have to always be here … well, it's like when we feel we're losing a fight and if the commander-in-chief isn't there, who will be willing to fight on?" he was quoted as saying.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/genera ... recent_box
Over the past week of frantic efforts to locate the missing 12 school footballers and their coach in Tham Luang cave in Chiang Rai, many of the participants in the unfolding story have been portrayed on social media as either heroes or villains.
Deputy national police chief Srivara Ransibrahmanakul, for example, has come under fire after being caught in some video clips showing an apparently fastidious adherence to protocol.
Angry netizens lambasted Pol Gen Srivara for seemingly making life more difficult for the rescue workers in the clips which were widely shared on social media.
In one clip, Pol Gen Srivara was shown demanding to see a drone that was used to search the cave before asking his subordinate: "Is there an operating licence? [for the drone] If not, you might be punished."
He was also criticised for saying those responsible for implementing the idea of using a drone should consult the laws concerned before proceeding, as well as questioning why no one told the parents of the missing youths to formally lodge a complaint with police so they are fully protected under the law.
Following the huge wave of criticism directed against him, Pol Gen Srivara defended himself in an interview on Friday, saying he hadn't done anything wrong and had only tried to set a good example of how state officials should conduct themselves in a crisis.
State officials are required to follow strict protocols otherwise their departments are not eligible for the disbursement of state budget for the work they have done, he said, adding that disaster mitigation doesn't override other laws.
"If the rest of the society believes I have not carried out my duties correctly, I apologise. However, I have done nothing wrong, and only tried to be professional as I am the one who must give out the instructions," he said.
But to Wibulthon Kamolnaruemeth and many social media users, the way Pol Gen Srivara has been seen behaving in those clips justifies their calls for him to be removed from his position.
Mr Wibulthon, a Bangkok resident, on Friday night posted on Facebook calling on Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to consider dismissing Pol Gen Srivara from his job. He also asked those who agreed with him to comment in support.
The post got more than 400,000 likes and received more than 192,000 comments as of press time yesterday.
Reaction to Pol Gen Srivara's much-criticised role in the rescue operation was in stark contrast to those officials hailed by the netizens as heroes of the hour.
Among them is national police chief Chakthip Chaijinda who was captured in some pictures, which also went viral, travelling on foot uphill across difficult terrain to where his team had abseiled down a shaft to lower food, drink and other necessary items.
Similar praise was directed at deputy police chief, Wirachai Songmetta, who climbed Doi Pha Mee with another police team to reach the other end of the cave network.
Meanwhile, another official to have received the backing of social media users is Chiang Rai governor Narongsak Osotthanakorn, whose leadership and decisiveness in the operation at the cave have been evident.
The public's respect for these officials has been reflected in the number of times their biographies and careers have been detailed both online and in print.
Pol Gen Chakthip's shaft exploration operation made headlines in both mainstream and online media. These reports were accompanied by accounts of his impressive track record.
He has been lauded as a successful crime suppression officer who played an important role in several incidents including negotiating the release of hostages taken during a jailbreak staged by several Myanmar inmates at Samut Sakhon prison in 2000.
During his time as a deputy chief of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, Pol Gen Chakthip was dubbed the "tear gas gentleman" when he led a police operation to disperse a group from the People's Alliance for Democracy outside parliament and was seen taking off his own shirt to provide first aid to an injured protester.
The motto with which he goes about his duties also won the hearts of the watching public: "As a commander, be a fertiliser not an insecticide. Make your subordinates grow wherever you go, and don't let them die."
Mr Narongsak, meanwhile, earned praise for being a man of his word as well as sacrificing his time and energy throughout the duration of the crisis after saying he was treating the missing 13 people as if they were his own family and pledging do whatever it takes to find them.
"Some asked me why I have to always be here … well, it's like when we feel we're losing a fight and if the commander-in-chief isn't there, who will be willing to fight on?" he was quoted as saying.
May you be in heaven half an hour before the devil know`s you`re dead!
Re: Thai officials believe 12 boys missing in cave are alive
Listening to the Thais regarding this policeman Srivara, it seems it's not the first time he's shown himself to be an idiot. It's happened several times before. The general consensus is that he's one of the most hated policemen in Thailand.
Re: Thai officials believe 12 boys missing in cave are alive
'Friendly' weather helps rescuers progress deeper into cave
https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/genera ... -into-cave
Divers have made progress as they venture deeper into Tham Luang to locate 12 young footballers and their coach stranded somewhere in the flooded, labyrinthine cave since last Saturday.
Maj Gen Suppachok Thawatpeerachai, the deputy commander of the Army Third Region, told an afternoon press briefing that divers had moved about 600 metres forward from the third chamber of the cave in Mae Sai district, Chiang Rai.
On Saturday night, divers were only able to progress 200 metres from the chamber before they were beaten back by rising floodwaters.
The chamber is roughly half way along the two-kilometre-long distance from the mouth of Tham Luang to a T-junction. From there, divers will swim left toward an area of high ground known as Pattaya Beach, where the missing children may be sheltering from the water flooding into the cave.
Oxygen tanks have been transported into the cave to provide emergency respiration to the 13 people when they are located. The Navy Seal unit said on Saturday that compressed air tanks are being installed at 25-metre intervals forward of the third chamber to supply air to divers.
"We have deployed an offensive plan. We will not wait for the water level to go down," it said.
Naval Special Warfare Command chief Rear Admiral Apakorn Yukongkaew said earlier that divers are determined to moving forward until the mission is accomplished.
Divers have been using the third chamber as a temporary operational base inside the cave.
About 60 navy and foreign divers were now inside the cave, Kobchai Boonyaorana, the deputy director-general of the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department, told the media on Sunday.
The operation to find the trapped teenagers and their trainer entered its eighth day on Sunday. They were reported missing after entering the cave on June 23.
Chiang Rai governor Narongchai Osotthanakorn said rescuers made progress on Sunday thanks to a break in the rain, calling it one of the best days since the mission began. "Weather conditions are being friendly to us," the governor said in the briefing.
Rescuers are still combing the mountain above the cave in search of fissures that could provide an alternate access point to the cave from above -- but so far, none of the shafts have led anywhere.
"We never ignore any suggestions we're given about the location of shafts. Every hole that seems to point downwards we explore every one," Maj Gen Suppachok said.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/genera ... -into-cave
Divers have made progress as they venture deeper into Tham Luang to locate 12 young footballers and their coach stranded somewhere in the flooded, labyrinthine cave since last Saturday.
Maj Gen Suppachok Thawatpeerachai, the deputy commander of the Army Third Region, told an afternoon press briefing that divers had moved about 600 metres forward from the third chamber of the cave in Mae Sai district, Chiang Rai.
On Saturday night, divers were only able to progress 200 metres from the chamber before they were beaten back by rising floodwaters.
The chamber is roughly half way along the two-kilometre-long distance from the mouth of Tham Luang to a T-junction. From there, divers will swim left toward an area of high ground known as Pattaya Beach, where the missing children may be sheltering from the water flooding into the cave.
Oxygen tanks have been transported into the cave to provide emergency respiration to the 13 people when they are located. The Navy Seal unit said on Saturday that compressed air tanks are being installed at 25-metre intervals forward of the third chamber to supply air to divers.
"We have deployed an offensive plan. We will not wait for the water level to go down," it said.
Naval Special Warfare Command chief Rear Admiral Apakorn Yukongkaew said earlier that divers are determined to moving forward until the mission is accomplished.
Divers have been using the third chamber as a temporary operational base inside the cave.
About 60 navy and foreign divers were now inside the cave, Kobchai Boonyaorana, the deputy director-general of the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department, told the media on Sunday.
The operation to find the trapped teenagers and their trainer entered its eighth day on Sunday. They were reported missing after entering the cave on June 23.
Chiang Rai governor Narongchai Osotthanakorn said rescuers made progress on Sunday thanks to a break in the rain, calling it one of the best days since the mission began. "Weather conditions are being friendly to us," the governor said in the briefing.
Rescuers are still combing the mountain above the cave in search of fissures that could provide an alternate access point to the cave from above -- but so far, none of the shafts have led anywhere.
"We never ignore any suggestions we're given about the location of shafts. Every hole that seems to point downwards we explore every one," Maj Gen Suppachok said.
May you be in heaven half an hour before the devil know`s you`re dead!
Re: Thai officials believe 12 boys missing in cave are alive
Rescue enters key phase
Race on to beat wet weather later in week
https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/genera ... -key-phase
Search and rescue teams are racing time to locate and retrieve a group of 13 people believed to have been trapped inside Tham Luang cave complex before more rain arrives in two days.
The weather is expected to be in their favour early this week with the Meteorological Department saying less rain is expected over the next two days while wet conditions will return on Wednesday.
Those engaged in the rescue operations hope to make best use of the dry conditions to pump the water out of the flooded passages which have impeded the search so far, even though water pumps have been working at full capacity and aquifer wells have been drilled to lower the water level inside the cave.
No contact has been made so far with the 12 young footballers and their coach who have been missing since June 23, but rescue activities have nevertheless made headway.
Divers have established a forward command in an area known as Chamber 3, shortening the distance between the rescuers and the missing group which is believed to have taken shelter in a section known as “Pattaya Beach”.
The distance between Chamber 3 and Pattaya Beach is believed to be 3 kilometres. It has been reported that the divers have ventured 600 metres towards the target area.
The divers, both Thais and foreigners, are advancing, but at a slow rate as the whole cave network remains heavily flooded and the water is still muddy, reducing visibility.
A stream of assistance and moral support continues to pour in for the rescue teams and the lost boys.
His Majesty the King has provided chargeable LED light bulbs which are being used to light the inside of the cave.
His Holiness the Supreme Patriarch has urged Buddhists to study the Metta Sutta to help them prepare their minds for making powerful wishes for the safety of the missing people.
Last Friday, His Holiness led a Metta Sutta-based prayer for the football team at Royal Plaza in Bangkok upon royal command.
Princess Ubolratana has drawn a picture of the Moo Pa, or wild boar, which the football club is named after, with a picture of the footballers on its back to extend her support with the hashtag “Bring Moo Pa home”.
Additional compressed air tanks, scuba gear, water pumps, lights, ropes and survival kits have been transported into Tham Luang.
Naval Special Warfare Command chief Apakorn Yukongkaew vowed Sunday: “We won’t turn back ... We will continue to move forward until we find the boys.”
The commander said safety is a priority and the divers use ropes to guide them and compressed air tanks have been placed at every 25-metre mark along the way, adding that the divers will also carry spare tanks and food supplies for the missing.
The rescue effort has three main strands: divers are trying to swim through the flooded caves to search for the missing team; soldiers are looking for fissures that may provide more ways in to the complex, and engineers are pumping out millions of gallons of water.
There are several teams of foreign specialists involved. Groups from Australia, Britain, China, Laos and Myanmar are also assisting in the operation, as are several Thai companies, including the country’s biggest oil and gas exploration firm, PTT Plc.
The United States sent a team of 17 Air Force rescue specialists based on the Japanese island of Okinawa to aid in the search, along with additional support staff.
The latest foreign assistance is a team from Australia, who arrived at the Tham Luang cave complex on Sunday.
Six members of the Australian Federal Police's Specialist Response Group members, who have search and rescue and cave diving skills, arrived at Chiang Rai aboard a Royal Australian Air Force C-17 transport aircraft.
Australia's foreign affairs, defence and home affairs ministers said in a joint statement late on Saturday that Australia was working closely with the Thai government and the Royal Thai Army, who are leading the search operation.
The ADF has also deployed an official to the rescue command centre in Chiang Rai as a specialist liaison officer to provide operations and planning expertise. An officer of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT, Australia's foreign ministry) was also deploying with the AFP rescue team to assist with coordination.
Two separate Chinese teams are helping.
James Wang, a member of the Chinese rescue team Green Boat Emergency Organisation, believed they could help with the operation.
"We have the skill to the rescue cave and the skill of SRT, single rope technology. So I think, in this environment we can do something for the children," he said.
Another Chinese team has brought underwater drones and 3D imaging, though so far the floodwater has been too murky for it to be effective.
Survival efforts favour the boys and their coach.
Cave temperatures are believed to be between 20C and 25C and the porous limestone rock means there should be enough oxygen, although some caves in the region are known to contain bad air pockets with carbon dioxide.
Messages the children sent before setting off to explore the cave on Saturday suggest they had taken torches and some food.
Thai medical experts say the group's survival depends on whether they find fresh drinking water.
They could survive eight days without food, Medical Services Department Director Dr Somsak Akkasilp said. Fresh drinking water might be a problem.
The missing boys are at risk from infection from unclean water or if they have contact with an animal inside the cave, he added.
There has been no contact with them since they went to explore the Tham Luang caves after a football practice on June 23.
Outside the cave, all units are on standby with preparations being made should any of the boys need emergency treatment or transportation.
Vehicles have been barred from entering the site to facilitate this.
Evacuation and medical drills carried out on Saturday underlined the need to regulate traffic around Tham Luang cave as emergency routes were blocked by uncooperative motorists.
Police, troops and rescue teams continue to search for new shafts that will help them gain further access to the cave network.
Chiang Rai governor Narongsak Osotthanakorn said the rescue work is progressing well.
The search for shafts on the mountainside looks promising and experts are examining the findings to see if any of them can serve as a backdoor to reach the missing group, he said.
The governor has also stressed that extra funding is neither requested nor needed and called on the public to alert police of any scams.
Meanwhile, the government has launched the @realnewsthailand account on the Line chat application to counter fake or distorted news.
Government spokesman Lt Gen Sansern Kaewkamnerd said the account is not limited to the missing group.
Race on to beat wet weather later in week
https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/genera ... -key-phase
Search and rescue teams are racing time to locate and retrieve a group of 13 people believed to have been trapped inside Tham Luang cave complex before more rain arrives in two days.
The weather is expected to be in their favour early this week with the Meteorological Department saying less rain is expected over the next two days while wet conditions will return on Wednesday.
Those engaged in the rescue operations hope to make best use of the dry conditions to pump the water out of the flooded passages which have impeded the search so far, even though water pumps have been working at full capacity and aquifer wells have been drilled to lower the water level inside the cave.
No contact has been made so far with the 12 young footballers and their coach who have been missing since June 23, but rescue activities have nevertheless made headway.
Divers have established a forward command in an area known as Chamber 3, shortening the distance between the rescuers and the missing group which is believed to have taken shelter in a section known as “Pattaya Beach”.
The distance between Chamber 3 and Pattaya Beach is believed to be 3 kilometres. It has been reported that the divers have ventured 600 metres towards the target area.
The divers, both Thais and foreigners, are advancing, but at a slow rate as the whole cave network remains heavily flooded and the water is still muddy, reducing visibility.
A stream of assistance and moral support continues to pour in for the rescue teams and the lost boys.
His Majesty the King has provided chargeable LED light bulbs which are being used to light the inside of the cave.
His Holiness the Supreme Patriarch has urged Buddhists to study the Metta Sutta to help them prepare their minds for making powerful wishes for the safety of the missing people.
Last Friday, His Holiness led a Metta Sutta-based prayer for the football team at Royal Plaza in Bangkok upon royal command.
Princess Ubolratana has drawn a picture of the Moo Pa, or wild boar, which the football club is named after, with a picture of the footballers on its back to extend her support with the hashtag “Bring Moo Pa home”.
Additional compressed air tanks, scuba gear, water pumps, lights, ropes and survival kits have been transported into Tham Luang.
Naval Special Warfare Command chief Apakorn Yukongkaew vowed Sunday: “We won’t turn back ... We will continue to move forward until we find the boys.”
The commander said safety is a priority and the divers use ropes to guide them and compressed air tanks have been placed at every 25-metre mark along the way, adding that the divers will also carry spare tanks and food supplies for the missing.
The rescue effort has three main strands: divers are trying to swim through the flooded caves to search for the missing team; soldiers are looking for fissures that may provide more ways in to the complex, and engineers are pumping out millions of gallons of water.
There are several teams of foreign specialists involved. Groups from Australia, Britain, China, Laos and Myanmar are also assisting in the operation, as are several Thai companies, including the country’s biggest oil and gas exploration firm, PTT Plc.
The United States sent a team of 17 Air Force rescue specialists based on the Japanese island of Okinawa to aid in the search, along with additional support staff.
The latest foreign assistance is a team from Australia, who arrived at the Tham Luang cave complex on Sunday.
Six members of the Australian Federal Police's Specialist Response Group members, who have search and rescue and cave diving skills, arrived at Chiang Rai aboard a Royal Australian Air Force C-17 transport aircraft.
Australia's foreign affairs, defence and home affairs ministers said in a joint statement late on Saturday that Australia was working closely with the Thai government and the Royal Thai Army, who are leading the search operation.
The ADF has also deployed an official to the rescue command centre in Chiang Rai as a specialist liaison officer to provide operations and planning expertise. An officer of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT, Australia's foreign ministry) was also deploying with the AFP rescue team to assist with coordination.
Two separate Chinese teams are helping.
James Wang, a member of the Chinese rescue team Green Boat Emergency Organisation, believed they could help with the operation.
"We have the skill to the rescue cave and the skill of SRT, single rope technology. So I think, in this environment we can do something for the children," he said.
Another Chinese team has brought underwater drones and 3D imaging, though so far the floodwater has been too murky for it to be effective.
Survival efforts favour the boys and their coach.
Cave temperatures are believed to be between 20C and 25C and the porous limestone rock means there should be enough oxygen, although some caves in the region are known to contain bad air pockets with carbon dioxide.
Messages the children sent before setting off to explore the cave on Saturday suggest they had taken torches and some food.
Thai medical experts say the group's survival depends on whether they find fresh drinking water.
They could survive eight days without food, Medical Services Department Director Dr Somsak Akkasilp said. Fresh drinking water might be a problem.
The missing boys are at risk from infection from unclean water or if they have contact with an animal inside the cave, he added.
There has been no contact with them since they went to explore the Tham Luang caves after a football practice on June 23.
Outside the cave, all units are on standby with preparations being made should any of the boys need emergency treatment or transportation.
Vehicles have been barred from entering the site to facilitate this.
Evacuation and medical drills carried out on Saturday underlined the need to regulate traffic around Tham Luang cave as emergency routes were blocked by uncooperative motorists.
Police, troops and rescue teams continue to search for new shafts that will help them gain further access to the cave network.
Chiang Rai governor Narongsak Osotthanakorn said the rescue work is progressing well.
The search for shafts on the mountainside looks promising and experts are examining the findings to see if any of them can serve as a backdoor to reach the missing group, he said.
The governor has also stressed that extra funding is neither requested nor needed and called on the public to alert police of any scams.
Meanwhile, the government has launched the @realnewsthailand account on the Line chat application to counter fake or distorted news.
Government spokesman Lt Gen Sansern Kaewkamnerd said the account is not limited to the missing group.
- cave.jpg (67.48 KiB) Viewed 400 times
May you be in heaven half an hour before the devil know`s you`re dead!
Re: Thai officials believe 12 boys missing in cave are alive
Srivara puts foot in it with rescue rhetoric
https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opi ... e-rhetoric
This time around, the deputy national police chief who, about four months ago, grabbed media headlines for his low-bowing gesture in front of alleged illegal hunter Premchai Karnasuta, was at the wrong place and at the wrong time. Worse, he was completely out of touch with his "nonsensical" talk last week with some of the officials engaged in the rescue operations to find 12 boys and their football coach at Tham Luang cave in Chiang Rai's Mae Sai district.
"Why was he there?" Was one of several questions asked by netizens on social media who were deeply disturbed by his bossy manner and the tone he took with one of the officials from the Mineral Resources Department manning drilling equipment at the cave area.
With his finger pointed at the drilling machine, Pol Gen Srivara tersely asked the official whether he had the clearance from the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation to carry out the cave drilling.
"This is not a pleasure trip … better check the law too," he was quoted as telling the official who obediently answered that he was just an ordinary engineer. But this tough-talk was completely non-existent during his encounter with Mr Premchai at the Thong Pha Phum police station in Kanchanaburi when the boss of Italian-Thai Development Plc showed up to acknowledge the charges against him about four months ago.
Upon his return to Bangkok from his unannounced brief visit to the cave, Pol Gen Srivara countered that he merely wanted the officials there to abide by the law. He noted the public disaster law does not guarantee impunity for actions deemed an offence under the other laws and, as a law enforcement officer himself, he wanted everything to be legal.
Regarding officials using drones to survey and take aerial pictures of the mountainous terrain above the cave to look for possible routes in to rescue the 13 victims trapped inside since June 23, the deputy police chief also raised the question of a permit for the use of drones.
He said he didn't think the officials dug into their own pockets to buy the drones because they were mostly not wealthy.
"If you use your own drones to operate here, my question is where you got the money to buy them. Did you use government budget? Or your own money? If you used government budget, there are regulations to follow. I asked the question because I have the responsibility," Pol Gen Srivara was quoted as telling his men.
He claimed he spent less than one minute giving his "lecture" on the need to follow the law and didn't understand why it became a big issue. However, he later offered an apology if what he said did not satisfy the public but insisted that he would not tolerate violations of the law.
What business did he have attempting to supervise the drilling in the cave? The Tham Luang Cave is within the jurisdiction of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, not the Royal Thai Police. So if legal action was to be taken against the men from the Mineral Resources Department, it is at the discretion of the park officials, not any police officer, including Pol Gen Srivara. So why the bother? Why the fuss?
Likewise, drones are within the jurisdiction of the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand, not the Royal Thai Police. Why interfere? It is none of the police's business. His undesirable conduct fits with a Chinese saying which reads along these lines: "When the stomach is full, one has nothing better to do."
I could not agree more with former Supreme Court judge Chuchart Srisaeng, who criticised Pol Gen Srivara's questioning of the legality of the use of drones and drilling machines as nonsensical. Stupid questions, to be exact.
Then he cited Section 67 of the Criminal Code which exempts a person from punishment if he or she is forced into a tight situation or put under unavoidable or irresistible pressure to commit an offence in order for himself, herself or others to escape immediate danger which is not caused by him or her. Hasn't Pol Gen Srivara read this section of the Criminal Code? That means the officials who fly drones or drill holes in the cave wall in their efforts to help the trapped boys and their coach will be exempted from legal punishment even though they don't have a licence.
The one minute which Pol Gen Srivara claimed he spent lecturing his men on the use of drones has come at a cost to his reputation, name and so forth. But who cares? I believe the many people who despise his misplaced conduct care more about the morale of the search and rescue workers who are sacrificing their comfort and who are willingly eating and sleeping on the ground just to help the trapped boys.
Why didn't he grill the Navy Seals over their use of underwater drones? Thank God the deputy national police chief did not spend more time at the site than his boss, Pol Gen Chakthip Chaijinda, who was there too but joined with the border patrol team in search of alternative routes into the cave.
And thank God too that Pol Gen Srivara does not have an active role in the search and rescue operations. I can't imagine how the operations would go with him taking the helm.
While everybody from every direction, officials and volunteers alike, are doing what they can, using whatever means possible and whatever tools available with one single goal in mind -- to find and rescue the 12 boys and their coach-- this lone police officer preached the legality of the means and tools used by some of the officials during these potential moments of life and death. How pathetic!
His concern with the legal issues is out of place, out of mind. Thank God, again, he is not the police chief, although he aspires to be The One, as he is known to be a protege of one of our deputy prime ministers who hails from the Burapha Phayak clique.
Phra Siam Devadhiraj, Thailand's guardian deity, please save us all if he is The One.
Writer: Veera Prateepchaikul
Position: Former Editor
- Srivara.jpg (71.24 KiB) Viewed 394 times
May you be in heaven half an hour before the devil know`s you`re dead!
Re: Thai officials believe 12 boys missing in cave are alive
If the kids are found in the big cave to the right, not Pataya Beach like they're looking. Someone is going to be very embarrassed for not listening to the UK experts.
Re: Thai officials believe 12 boys missing in cave are alive
I don't think embarrassment comes into it. If they're found in Pattaya Beach, I'm sure the guys from the UK will be delighted at being proved wrong. Either way, right or wrong, the emphasis is on finding these kids.
Re: Thai officials believe 12 boys missing in cave are alive
Please don't take this the wrong way guys, I feel for the 13 who are trapped and their friends and relatives as much as the next person.
Yesterday morning, Mrs BB was watching a programme on Thai TV about the potential disaster. I just couldn't help feeling what a circus the whole thing was becoming:
Yesterday morning, Mrs BB was watching a programme on Thai TV about the potential disaster. I just couldn't help feeling what a circus the whole thing was becoming:
- They were showing volunteers turning up carrying oxygen tanks. Yes, a great gesture, but surely they aren't going to let groups of people into the cave. There have been professional divers in the caves with specialised breathing apparatus for days, and they've made little progress. All these guys will do is congest a very small area putting themselves and the professionals at risk. These wannabe helpers should be headed off at the pass, and not allowed anywhere near - of course that might affect somebody's seffie opportunity.
- Religious guys have been turning holding ceremonies to bring everybody good luck. Basically photo opportunities, and if they find the 13 alive, it will do their street cred the world of good. Of course, such displays of mumbo jumbo might give families some relief.
- All the big knobs who keep turning up - what's that all about? Photo opportunities (there might be an election soon)? Who's got the most important badge of office? My uniform is more important than your uniform?
Championship Plymouth Argyle 1 - 0 Leicester City 
Points 48; Position 18
Points 48; Position 18
Re: Thai officials believe 12 boys missing in cave are alive
Absolutely agree Big Boy. But it all comes back to the fact that there is not ONE single person with total authority in charge.
Years ago in Australia I was part of the local civil emergency group where I lived. The person in charge was an ex-army officer whom had everybody's respect and total authority. On a national basis the government will immediately appoint a senior, usually military person, to have total control of any civil emergency beyond the capacity of the local controller.
Just a couple of years ago there was a big bush fire in the area where I used to live. The police closed off ALL the access roads to the area, even to the extent that my mates wife went out shopping from their farm that was in the designated area and was stopped from returning!
The problem here is completely highlighted by the actions of the ignorant policeman previously reported.
Years ago in Australia I was part of the local civil emergency group where I lived. The person in charge was an ex-army officer whom had everybody's respect and total authority. On a national basis the government will immediately appoint a senior, usually military person, to have total control of any civil emergency beyond the capacity of the local controller.
Just a couple of years ago there was a big bush fire in the area where I used to live. The police closed off ALL the access roads to the area, even to the extent that my mates wife went out shopping from their farm that was in the designated area and was stopped from returning!
The problem here is completely highlighted by the actions of the ignorant policeman previously reported.
May you be in heaven half an hour before the devil know`s you`re dead!
Re: Thai officials believe 12 boys missing in cave are alive
Those people carrying "oxygen" tanks were likely porters carrying refilled "air" tanks for the divers. Each tank is likely 80cuft and good for 30 min under water.
They must be filled by a special compressor that has filtered and dry air. Usually to a pressure of 2800 to 3000psi.
They must be filled by a special compressor that has filtered and dry air. Usually to a pressure of 2800 to 3000psi.
Re: Thai officials believe 12 boys missing in cave are alive
I will add that the "Government" has at least accepted, and it appears even encouraged, international assistance.
Just cast your mind back to 2008 when cyclone "Nargis" hit Myanmar. The military government at the time there refused to allow international aid into the country for some time after the disaster.
The other problem here is just who would be qualified to control a major civil incident? The floods of 2011 should give you some idea, where we had that stupid female in her designer rubber boots saying: "we will do our best"!
And the then Bangkok Governor running around with a stone Buddha Image under his arm!
Just cast your mind back to 2008 when cyclone "Nargis" hit Myanmar. The military government at the time there refused to allow international aid into the country for some time after the disaster.
The other problem here is just who would be qualified to control a major civil incident? The floods of 2011 should give you some idea, where we had that stupid female in her designer rubber boots saying: "we will do our best"!
And the then Bangkok Governor running around with a stone Buddha Image under his arm!
May you be in heaven half an hour before the devil know`s you`re dead!
Re: Thai officials believe 12 boys missing in cave are alive
Au
Updated Sun at 2:21pm
Australians join effort to rescue Thai soccer team missing in cave
Australian police rescue experts and Defence Force personnel have arrived in Thailand to assist the search for a group of boys missing in a flooded cave.
Key points:
Australia is working closely with the Thai Government and the Royal Thai Army
Thai Government dispatches more than 10,000 soldiers to carry out rescue operation
Additional experts from around the world have also joined the mission
Six AFP Specialist Response Group members, who have search and rescue and cave diving skills, have arrived at Chiang Rai aboard a Royal Australian Air Force C-17 transport aircraft.
Australia's foreign affairs, defence and home affairs ministers said in a joint statement late on Saturday that Australia was working closely with the Thai Government and the Royal Thai Army, who are leading the search operation.
The ADF has also deployed an official to the rescue command centre in Chiang Rai as a specialist liaison officer to provide operations and planning expertise.
A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade officer was also deploying with the AFP rescue team to assist with coordination.
Rescuers, including Thai navy divers, a US military team and British cave experts, have been hampered by incessant rain that has flooded the cave.
Additional experts from around the world, including two Chinese teams, have also joined the rescue mission.
James Wang, a member of the Chinese rescue team Green Boat Emergency Organisation, believed they could help with the operation.
"We have the skill to the rescue cave and the skill of SRT, single rope technology. So I think, in this environment we can do something for the children," he said.
Another Chinese team has brought underwater drones and 3D imaging, though so far the floodwater has been too murky for it to be effective.
The rescue effort has three strands: divers are trying to swim through the flooded caves to search for the missing team; soldiers are looking for fissures that may provide more ways in to the complex, and engineers are pumping out millions of gallons of water.
Updated Sun at 2:21pm
Australians join effort to rescue Thai soccer team missing in cave
Australian police rescue experts and Defence Force personnel have arrived in Thailand to assist the search for a group of boys missing in a flooded cave.
Key points:
Australia is working closely with the Thai Government and the Royal Thai Army
Thai Government dispatches more than 10,000 soldiers to carry out rescue operation
Additional experts from around the world have also joined the mission
Six AFP Specialist Response Group members, who have search and rescue and cave diving skills, have arrived at Chiang Rai aboard a Royal Australian Air Force C-17 transport aircraft.
Australia's foreign affairs, defence and home affairs ministers said in a joint statement late on Saturday that Australia was working closely with the Thai Government and the Royal Thai Army, who are leading the search operation.
The ADF has also deployed an official to the rescue command centre in Chiang Rai as a specialist liaison officer to provide operations and planning expertise.
A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade officer was also deploying with the AFP rescue team to assist with coordination.
Rescuers, including Thai navy divers, a US military team and British cave experts, have been hampered by incessant rain that has flooded the cave.
Additional experts from around the world, including two Chinese teams, have also joined the rescue mission.
James Wang, a member of the Chinese rescue team Green Boat Emergency Organisation, believed they could help with the operation.
"We have the skill to the rescue cave and the skill of SRT, single rope technology. So I think, in this environment we can do something for the children," he said.
Another Chinese team has brought underwater drones and 3D imaging, though so far the floodwater has been too murky for it to be effective.
The rescue effort has three strands: divers are trying to swim through the flooded caves to search for the missing team; soldiers are looking for fissures that may provide more ways in to the complex, and engineers are pumping out millions of gallons of water.
Re: Thai officials believe 12 boys missing in cave are alive
Agreed.Big Boy wrote: ↑Mon Jul 02, 2018 12:55 pm Please don't take this the wrong way guys, I feel for the 13 who are trapped and their friends and relatives as much as the next person.
Yesterday morning, Mrs BB was watching a programme on Thai TV about the potential disaster. I just couldn't help feeling what a circus the whole thing was becoming:
- They were showing volunteers turning up carrying oxygen tanks. Yes, a great gesture, but surely they aren't going to let groups of people into the cave. There have been professional divers in the caves with specialised breathing apparatus for days, and they've made little progress. All these guys will do is congest a very small area putting themselves and the professionals at risk. These wannabe helpers should be headed off at the pass, and not allowed anywhere near - of course that might affect somebody's seffie opportunity.
- Religious guys have been turning holding ceremonies to bring everybody good luck. Basically photo opportunities, and if they find the 13 alive, it will do their street cred the world of good. Of course, such displays of mumbo jumbo might give families some relief.
The impression I got watching that yesterday was the 13 who are trapped is only a sideshow for something much bigger - the 13 are basically cannon fodder.
- All the big knobs who keep turning up - what's that all about? Photo opportunities (there might be an election soon)? Who's got the most important badge of office? My uniform is more important than your uniform?
This forum really needs a 'like' button!
Re: Thai officials believe 12 boys missing in cave are alive
It will all be fixed now.
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Lambasted top cop Srivara to return to Tham Luang
https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/genera ... g#cxrecs_s
Heavily criticised deputy police chief Srivara Ransibrahmanakul said Monday he would return to Tham Luang cave to supervise the search as a Facebook campaigner apologises for demanding his ouster.
Wibulthon Kamolnaruemeth met Pol Gen Srivara at the Royal Thai Police Office to apologise for inviting people to support his call for the senior officer to be dismissed.
Mr Wibulthon posted his angry messages after watching two shared video clips showing Pol Gen Srivara recently speaking about the need to follow regulations on cave boring and drone operations in the search for 12 young footballers and their coach inside Tham Luang cave.
Mr Wibulthon questioned why Pol Gen Srivara had to made the remarks, which appeared to obstruct officials' search operations..
He said he understood what Pol Gen Srivara was doing after watching full-length clips a police officer later sent him.
He erased his earlier Facebook post earlier garnishing support for the ouster, and said he was happy Pol Gen Srivara had forgiven him.
Pol Gen Srivara said his remarks were made to his close subordinates, instructing them to follow regulations on operating drones and boring the cave, because he did not want government officials to make mistakes.
Drones could affect helicopters in the area, and careless cave boring could cause the cave to collapse, he said.
He said he would find the source of the edited clips that had shown him in a poor lights, and he would return to Tham Luang on Tuesday because he was authorised to oversee police special operations.
Pol Maj Gen Srivara was heavily criticised after the clips were posted. Mr Wibulthon, a Bangkok resident, on Friday night posted a Facebook message calling on Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to consider dismissing Pol Gen Srivara from his job. He also asked those who agreed with him to leave comments in support. The post got more than 400,000 likes and received more than 192,000 comments on the same day.
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Lambasted top cop Srivara to return to Tham Luang
https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/genera ... g#cxrecs_s
Heavily criticised deputy police chief Srivara Ransibrahmanakul said Monday he would return to Tham Luang cave to supervise the search as a Facebook campaigner apologises for demanding his ouster.
Wibulthon Kamolnaruemeth met Pol Gen Srivara at the Royal Thai Police Office to apologise for inviting people to support his call for the senior officer to be dismissed.
Mr Wibulthon posted his angry messages after watching two shared video clips showing Pol Gen Srivara recently speaking about the need to follow regulations on cave boring and drone operations in the search for 12 young footballers and their coach inside Tham Luang cave.
Mr Wibulthon questioned why Pol Gen Srivara had to made the remarks, which appeared to obstruct officials' search operations..
He said he understood what Pol Gen Srivara was doing after watching full-length clips a police officer later sent him.
He erased his earlier Facebook post earlier garnishing support for the ouster, and said he was happy Pol Gen Srivara had forgiven him.
Pol Gen Srivara said his remarks were made to his close subordinates, instructing them to follow regulations on operating drones and boring the cave, because he did not want government officials to make mistakes.
Drones could affect helicopters in the area, and careless cave boring could cause the cave to collapse, he said.
He said he would find the source of the edited clips that had shown him in a poor lights, and he would return to Tham Luang on Tuesday because he was authorised to oversee police special operations.
Pol Maj Gen Srivara was heavily criticised after the clips were posted. Mr Wibulthon, a Bangkok resident, on Friday night posted a Facebook message calling on Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to consider dismissing Pol Gen Srivara from his job. He also asked those who agreed with him to leave comments in support. The post got more than 400,000 likes and received more than 192,000 comments on the same day.
May you be in heaven half an hour before the devil know`s you`re dead!