Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Wednesday made a televised address to thank all the people who had contributed to the eventual success of the rescue mission to free 12 boys and their soccer coach from a flooded cave in northern Thailand, The Nation reports. After almost three weeks trapped in the dark, away from their loved ones in a cave in northern Thailand, the boys, aged between 11 and 16, were allowed to see their relatives in a carefully controlled environment, as doctors are still concerned about their health. Schooled as a monk and now hailed a hero, football coach Ekkapol Chantawong is one of several stateless members of the “Wild Boars”, a team whose survival after days trapped in a flooded Thai cave fixated a country that does not recognise them as citizens.