Thai cave boys ordained in Buddhist ceremony

Most members of the Thai youth football team rescued from a flooded cave have had their heads shaved as part of a Buddhist ceremony to ordain them as novices.

Their coach is also receiving monk's orders. One of the boys is not joining the ceremony as he is a Christian.

The group will spend nine days living in a monastery, a tradition for males in Thailand who experience adversity.

They were trapped for more than two weeks before a dramatic rescue.

The boys were all released from hospital last week and are said to be in good health after their ordeal in the snaking caverns of the Tham Luang caves of northern Thailand.

This step is intended to be a "spiritual cleansing" for the group, and to fulfil a promise by the families to remember one of the divers who died in the rescue operation.

"They should spend time in a monastery. It's for their protection," Seewad Sompiangjai, grandfather of Night, one of the rescued boys told the BBC earlier. "It's like they died but now have been reborn."

They will stay in different monasteries until 4 August meditating, praying and cleaning their temple. The length of time they will spend doing this - nine days - is a nod to a Thai lucky number.

Correspondents say it's seen as normal by Thais for boys and men to spend time as monks as a rite of passage.

SOURCE: BBC NEWS
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