The cave complex in Thailand’s northern Chiang Rai province, where 12 boys and their football coach were trapped for more than two weeks, will be turned into a museum, BBC reported on Thursday.
“The area will become a living museum to show how the operation unfolded,” head of the rescue operation, Narongsak Osottanakorn, said at a press conference on Wednesday. “An interactive data base will be set up. It will become another major attraction for Thailand.”
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, however, said precautions will have to be implemented inside and outside the cave to ensure safety of tourists.
Deputy Director General of Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Chongklai Worapongsathorn said the Tham Luang cave will be closed from Thursday but did not specify the duration, according to The Strait Times. He said plans were in place to revive an adjacent national park, where hundreds of rescue workers and military personnel set up camp during the search and rescue operation.
There are also plans to turn the rescue operation into a movie with US studio Pure Flix Entertainment seeking the rights. Discovery Channel has announced that a documentary on the dramatic events will be released on Friday.
Los Angeles-based Ivanhoe Pictures claimed the Thai government and Navy have selected them to develop a film. Director of Crazy Rich Asians Jon M Chu is reportedly slated to helm the film.
The players from the Wild Boars Soccer team, aged 11-16 and their 25-year-old coach had hiked to the Tham Luang Nang Non cave in northern Thailand on June 23. They were trapped there after rising flood waters blocked their exit.
They were discovered on June 3 and rescued after a three-day operation involving experts from several countries, including the Thai Navy Seal, the United States Indo-Pacific Command and British cave diving experts.
While the evacuation was being planned, divers were supplying oxygen and food to them in the cave for several days. Saman Gunan, a 38-year-old former Thai seal, died on July 6 while making his way out of the cave after delivering air supplies.
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