A ceremony was held this morning (Tuesday), in the northern province of Chiang Rai, to scatter the ashes of and to bid farewell to 17-year-old Duangphet Promthep, aka “Dom”, a member of the Wild Boar football team who died while studying in the United Kingdom in mid-February.
Over a hundred people, including family members, friends, former Wild Board teammates and former coach, Ekkaphon Kanthawong, participated in the religious ceremony, which began with a merit-making ritual at Phra That Doi Wao Temple in Wiang Phang Kham sub-district.
The abbot of the temple led a group of monks, family members and friends of Duangphet on a boat ride on the Mekong River to scatter the ashes.
Ten footballs, with condolence messages written on them, were scattered into the river along with the ashes.
Duangphet was found unconscious in his dormitory in Leicestershire on February 12th and was taken to hospital, where he was put on a ventilator. He died two days later.
In August last year, Duangphet won a scholarship to enter the Brooke House College Academy in Market Harborough.
The 12 Wild Boar footballers, aged from 11 to 16, and their coach, Ekkaphon, were trapped in the flooded Tham Luang cave in Mae Sai district in June 2018. Their ordeal grabbed worldwide attention as more than 10,000 international rescuers, Thai officials and volunteers were mobilised in one of the biggest search and rescue operation ever seen. The team and their coach were safely extracted from the flooded cave after being trapped for 18 days.
