The Royal Thai Embassy in Manila expressed gratitude towards a Filipino volunteer and other Filipino experts who helped during the rescue of the Thai soccer team trapped inside a cave in Chiang Rai province.
In a statement, the Thai Embassy thanked Christoffer John ‘Cedjie’ Aquino, a Filipino rock-climber, who helped in the rescue of the soccer team.
“The Royal Thai Embassy wishes to convey our heartfelt gratitude to all the Thai and international members of the rescue teams that led to the successful rescue of 12 Thai boys from “Moo Pa” (Wild Boar) Academy Football Club and their coach from Tham Luang cave in Chiang Rai province. The bravery and dedication of all divers and volunteers are the best manifestations of truly remarkable humanity,” the statement read.
“We are grateful to our Filipino friend in Thailand, Christoffer John “Cedjie” Aquino, who joined this rescue operation,” it added.
The Thai Embassy also thanked a group of Filipino cave rescuers and cave diving rescuers headed by Johann Jake Miranda, who offered their expertise during the rescue mission.
“These acts of kindness are true testaments of the strong bond of friendship between our two countries,” the Embassy said.
The 12 members of the soccer team, along with their coach, were exploring the cave after a post-practice picnic.
In an interview with CNN, the father of one of the victims said the team only wanted to “visit the cave for an hour” but they were trapped inside due to flashfloods.
Thousands of volunteers helped in the rescue, with one of the divers dying of lack of oxygen.
The team was eventually rescued after more than two weeks of being trapped inside the cave.
NOTE: Photo featured in the article was taken from Facebook account of Cedjie Aquino.
