Thai cave boys leave stint as monks

Eleven boys and their soccer coach rescued from a flooded Thai cave in a drama that gripped global audiences has left the temples on Saturday (August 4) after spending nine days as Buddhist novices in memory of a volunteer diver who died during their rescue.

The 12th team member, fourteen-year-old Adul Sam-on, is Christian and was not ordained.

At the Wat Phra That Doi Wao temple, the boys listened to Buddhist chanting before they disrobed themselves in a traditional ceremony attended by their relatives.

The 12 boys, aged 11 to 16, and their 25-year-old coach went missing on June 23 while exploring the cave complex and were rescued more than two weeks later during a perilous three-day mission by foreign and Thai divers.

The boys and their soccer coach had gone to explore the cave complex on June 23 when they became trapped. They survived for nine days on water dripping from rocks before divers discovered them on a muddy mound.