These two do have a point though, Hanno.Hanno wrote:Another expert.... Amazing how all these cave rescue specialists find time ti post on Khmer440.Cinque SLA wrote:Definitely a cluster fuck, especially early on. Very poor handling by the Thai authorities who were both overwhelmed and mesmerized by the media attention they received. With the 24/7 press video coverage you don't have to be onsite to see that nor a cave rescue expert understand that it should have been handled much better much earlier. Thank goodness for the foreign expertise in logistics that saved the day.McPhisto wrote:CNN is showing a lot of video inside the cave taken over the past week. You can see literally hundreds of people inside there. Most look like teenagers just standing around holding some cable or rope. One person every 4 feet seemingly for kilometers inside the cave. They whole thing looked like a circus. Plus the insistence that Thais lead the rescue to preserve national dignity. Too much media, too much grandstanding, not enough direct action, from what I can see. They should have kept everyone else away but the professional, international rescue divers and their direct support staff straight away.
The Thai authorities do appear to have tried to assume control to avoid political loss of face. The sad loss of life of the Thai Navy Seal diver shows that the Thais themselves were ill-prepared to undertake such a task.
This is an incident which is, after all, a failure on the part of the authorities for even allowing the expedition to venture so deep within the cave system at the onset of the monsoon season.
I am not pretending to be an expert, but serious questions do need to be asked of the Thai authorities.