I hadn’t seen this article from a couple of days ago, it claimed that the coach actually went in after them to look for the boys and a bit more info on coach Ek and at least one of the boys being “stateless people.” (I’m taking Thai Navy Seal’s version as truth right now though)
Thai cave rescue: How the cave nightmare began | PerthNow
“Their parents’ concern drove their coach 25-year-old Ekapol Jantawong, a stateless orphan who shared their love of football, to the cave. Near the entrance, he found their bikes, a discovery that meant he had to go deep inside to try to locate them and bring them back...
Adul, who won praise for his ability to speak four languages — Thai, English, Burmese and Chinese — and being polite.
Adul is from Wa state, an autonomous area in north-eastern Myanmar notorious for its drug trade. Like many children in the north, his parents, who are Christians, sent him, at a young age, to get a better education in northern Thailand.
He is one of more than 400,000 people who are registered as stateless in Thailand and stuck in a legal limbo that groups such as the UN High Commissioner for Refugees are trying to fix. With no birth certificate, ID card or passport, Adul cannot legally marry, get a job or bank account, travel outside the province, own property or vote.“