Thailand's Tham Luang Nang Non cave complex, famous for last year's dramatic rescue operation that saved the lives of 12 boys and their football coach trapped inside the complex, has reopened for tourists.
The cave complex in the Mae Sai district of Thailand's northern Chiang Rai province was officially reopened at an inauguration ceremony today.
Speaking at the inauguration, Chongklai Voraphongston, deputy director-general of Thailand's Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP), said 'now the National Park of Tham Luang-Khun Nam Nang Non has been adequately prepared for tourists in all aspects.'
'The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment is ready to develop this area completely so that Thais will be proud of it in the future.' he said.
Voraphongston said that cave complex had been reopened after four days of operations testing by the DNP.
The boys and their football coach, who were part of a local sports team called the Wild Boars Football Club, were trapped in darkness in the Tham Luang Cave complex.
The boys were trapped in the complex from June 23 last year for 18 days, before they were saved by a team of specialist divers, led by British experts and Thai Navy SEALs.
Since the operation to recover the missing children and their coach was completed in July, the Tham Luang Nang Non cave complex has been closed in order to run safety checks and retrieve the search and rescue equipment left inside.
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Several thousand tourists have been flocking to the cave complex every single day since July last year according to the Chiang Rai province's public relations office. Tourists had previously not been allowed within 30 metres from the entrance to the cave.
From today however, groups of 25-30 tourists will be allowed access only to the first chamber of the complex, and visitor numbers will be restricted to 2,000 per day.
Along with the reopening of the first chamber of the cave, a museum dedicated to the rescue operation, a pool known as the Emerald Pool where water from the cave rescue was pumped and a statue of a former Thai Navy SEAL who tragically died during the three-week rescue operation were promoted as tourist attractions by the Chiang Rai provincial public relations office.
Saman Kunan, a 37-year-old former Thai Navy Seal, tragically died of asphyxiation during the rescue operation while delivering oxygen to the trapped football team on July 6 last year.
The boys and their coach had become trapped during a visit to the complex when monsoon flood waters had blocked the mouth of the cave and pushed them back three miles into the complex.
The boys and their coach ended up stranded on a ledge, starving in the darkness, until they were found by a team of British divers over a week later.
Thousands of people were involved in the international search and rescue operation as the world was gripped by the drama. Food trucks, including mobile kitchens sent by the King of Thailand from his palace, served 20,000 hot meals a day to volunteers and rescue workers.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
