• About
  • Advertise
  • Careers
  • Write for us
  • Contact
  • Terms of service
Saturday, May 21, 2022
The Millennial Source
TMS
Home WORLD

Thai navy SEAL succumbs to infection contracted from last year’s cave rescue

byZachary Frye
December 29, 2019
in WORLD
Source: Bloomberg

Source: Bloomberg

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Linkedin



Petty Officer Beirut Pakbara, a Royal Thai Navy SEAL, has died of a blood infection he contracted during the rescue mission last year for 12 boys and their soccer coach in northern Thailand. Pakbara fell ill with a blood infection during the rescue. He was under medical supervision following the mission but was unable to recover after his condition worsened.

He was buried in his home province of Satun on Friday, December 27 in accordance with Islamic funeral rites.

Pakbara is the second SEAL to die from the rescue mission. Saman Gunan, the first, died during the rescue while delivering air tanks along the escape route when he ran out of air and lost consciousness.

A statue of Saman Gunan was erected outside the cave entrance in remembrance of his bravery. 

The boys are alright

On June 23, 2018, The Wild Boars youth soccer team was trapped in the Tham Luang Nang Non cave after heavy rainfall had shut the boys and their coach inside. After 18 days and a dramatic international rescue, all of the boys were freed. The boys, aged 11 and 16, and their coach, 25, survived for nine days by drinking water dripping from rocks above their heads. 

Following the rescue, the boys were whisked across the world, met the Manchester United soccer team and even attended the Ellen Degeneres show. A movie about the mission, “The Cave,” was released earlier this year. An upcoming miniseries is also set to premiere on Netflix. 

After a ceremony attended by government officials, monks and park rangers, Tham Luang reopened to tourists in November of this year.

Spotlight on statelessness in Thailand 

While the boys have received considerable attention following the rescue, the event has also raised the profile of issues surrounding stateless persons. All of the boys were born in Thailand, but three of them, including their coach, were not considered official Thai citizens. This is because they are part of minority communities that traditionally straddle the border regions of Thailand, Burma and Laos.

Many people in these communities live on the fringes of their country’s society, often without official documentation or legal status.

Although the boys received Thai citizenship shortly after the rescue, many others living in Thailand aren’t as fortunate. The United Nations says there are at least 487,000 stateless persons living in Thailand.
The Thai government, however, is reportedly making efforts to improve the situation. In September, the government laid out plans to provide a pathway to citizenship for all eligible undocumented students in the Thai education system. The initiative has been praised by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) as a “courageous step” to end statelessness.

Have a tip or story? Get in touch with our reporters at tips@themilsource.com

Like TMS? Subscribe to our free daily newsletter

Related

Tags: AsiaShort read
ShareTweetShare

Latest Posts

China housing

China gives property-buying benefits to families with three children amid declining housing market and birth rates

May 18, 2022
Hong Kong elections

Securing 1,416 votes, former security chief John Lee is now Hong Kong’s new leader

May 9, 2022
Philippine election

What you need to know about the Philippine presidential election right now

May 9, 2022

China’s lockdowns are ineffective in the long run says White House medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci

May 6, 2022

Hong Kong online investment scam victims lost over HK$132 million this year

May 6, 2022

Nervous investors dumped US$26 billion of Alibaba stock over report of “Ma” arrest – but, it wasn’t Jack Ma

May 4, 2022

What’s going on with Xiaomi in India?

May 3, 2022

We could face a global recession in two years, says Singapore

May 2, 2022

Hong Kong’s Sustainabl. shows how small changes can have a big impact

May 1, 2022

SUBSCRIBE TO THE TMS NEWSLETTER

By providing your email, you agree to our Privacy Policy

The Millennial Source Ltd. 2021

No Result
View All Result
  • Your daily briefing
  • About us
  • Explore
    • Startups
    • Climate change
    • Tech giants
    • Crypto
    • The future of work
    • Banking giants
    • Economy
  • Lifestyle
  • TMS archives
  • Write for us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy & Terms

© 2022 The Millennial Source Ltd.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.

string(24) "jsonld single post debug"
The Millennial Source
Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.