Parents try to keep Thai cave boys out of limelight, as Netflix and others vie to tell their story
- The Cave – Nang Non, a film by Irish-Thai director Tom Waller, will be released later this year, while Netflix is set to produce a miniseries about the dramatic rescue
- As the boys continue to attend school and play soccer, their parents and the Thai government are working to shield them from public attention
A year after a dozen young boys and their soccer coach became trapped deep in a flooded cave in Thailand, sparking fears for their lives, they are trying to live normal lives away from public glare.
The youngest member of the Wild Boars soccer team was only 11 years old during the ordeal at the Tham Luang cave, in the northern province of Chiang Rai.
“My son has grown so much,” said Thanawut Wiboonroongruang, the father of Titan, the youngest member of the Wild Boars soccer team. “He has a lot of patience now. He has become so mature.”
Titan was found after 10 days trapped in the cold, dark cave by British divers John Volanthen and Richard Stanton, who spotted the soccer boys huddling together on a ledge.
Over the course of three days, the team of 13 were carried out one by one, sedated, to the world outside, in one of the most watched rescue missions in history.
Efforts to protect the boys’ privacy come even as the incident, which took place between July 8 and 10, will be the focus of a feature film.