On 22 October 2018 at 12.30 hrs., H.E. Mr. Pisanu Suvanajata, Ambassador of Thailand, and spouse, attended a reception hosted by Mr. John Bercow, Speaker of the House of Commons, at Speaker States Room, to honour the bravery of the divers and thank supporting members of the British Cave Rescue Council (BCRC) on the successful rescue mission to save 12 boys and their coach trapped in a flooded cave in Chiang Rai, Thailand.  The reception was attended by around 70 guests, mostly from the diving community in the UK and Ireland.

Mr. Speaker thanked the BCRC for their courage and dedicated efforts to save lives. He also recited the incident of trapped boys whose news was closely followed by the British public who waited with anxiety to see them being rescued to safety. Everyone was delighted when they heard good news of successful rescue and praised the boys for their calmness and will power to stay alive and safe after being trapped for more than 10 days. Mr. Speaker also praised the BCRC for their unique skills which were put to good cause.

Ms. Tracy Crouch, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Sport and Civil Society, herself being a volunteer, thanked the BCRC and highlighted the important role of civil society and volunteers in social work to help others, dedicating their time and resources.  

Ambassador of Thailand thanked the BCRC team for their selfless efforts to save the boys, such heroic action must be honoured. This incident also reaffirmed the close and cordial tie between Thailand and the UK, as evidenced from the numerous message of hope and prayers that the Embassy received from the British of different ages, even primary school children.  The Ambassador is committed to further enhancing the friendly relations between the 2 countries for the benefits of the peoples.

Mr. Peter Dennis, Chairman of BCRC, thanked the regional cave diving organisations in the UK and Ireland for their support, as the BCRC had to pool diving equipment and other resources from the members to make this rescue mission a success.    

Credit images : ‘Photo Jason Brown - www.bardophotographic.com’