Cave boys to ordain as Buddhist novices

SYDNEY - The young soccer teammates and their coach who were rescued took part in a Buddhist ceremony on Tuesday as they prepared to be ordained to become Buddhist novices and monks.

Eleven of the boys and their coach prayed to ancient relics and offered drinks and desserts placed in gilded bowls to spirits in a ceremony at a Buddhist temple.

The boys will ordain to become Buddhist novices in a ceremony on Wednesday, while the 25-year-old coach will ordain as a monk, said Parchon Pratsakul, the governor of Chiang Rai province. The 12th team member who was trapped in the cave won't take part because he isn't Buddhist.

Buddhist males in predominantly Buddhist Thailand are traditionally expected to ordain and enter the monkhood, often as novices, at some point in their lives to show gratitude, often toward their parents for raising them. It's believed that once a person is ordained they gain merit that is also extended to the parents.

"Ordinations are supposed to give us peace of mind," said Sangiemjit Wongsukchan, mother of Ekarat Wongsukchan, 14, one of the boys who was trapped in the cave. "We can only do this for nine days because then he will have to go back to study and prepare for exams. Back to his normal life." Dozens of locals joined in Tuesday morning's temple ceremonies to show support for the group.

State honors

Meanwhile, Australia gave state honors on Tuesday to 9 people who helped rescue most of a Thai boys' soccer team trapped in a flooded cave, with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull saying their teamwork had set an example for world leaders.

The rescue of the 12 members of the "Wild Boars" team and their coach drew divers and volunteers from around the world. The last of the group was brought to safety from the cave on July 10.

Turnbull hastened the usual honors approval process and held a ceremony to recognize the Australians involved in a drama that gripped the world for weeks, which he called an extraordinary international effort.

"If only leaders were as collaborative as you were," Turnbull said at the event, attended by the Thai ambassador to Australia. "You held up an example to us all."

Australia's governor-general, Peter Cosgrove, gave its second-highest bravery award, the Star of Courage, to anesthetist Richard Harris and veterinarian Craig Challen, who abandoned holiday plans to take a central role in the mission.

Reuters - Ap