Family of Thai cave boy long for birthday party reunion

Pheeraphat Sompiengjai's family still have a birthday cake in the fridge waiting for his return home, as the discovery of the missing boy and his football team in a Thai cave brings joy to relatives but despair at the long rescue ahead.

Grilled pork and dessert had been prepared as a post-football birthday treat for Pheeraphat -- known by his nickname 'Night' -- who turned 16 on June 23. Night's relatives waited that evening to celebrate his birthday -- his 17th by Thai tradition. But he did not come home.

Instead Night, his 11 teammates and their 25-year-old coach made the ill-fated decision to walk into the Tham Luang cave after training. The boys chipped in to buy snacks to take down to the cave to mark his birthday, relatives at Night's village of Vieng Hom said today.

They speculated it was those snacks that sustained them during the nine-day ordeal before they were found late Monday huddled in the dark on a muddy bank, flood waters ominously beneath them.

It was meant to be very different, says Night's sister Phunphatsa. "We prepared dinner to celebrate and some relatives came to join." "The cake is in the fridge. I kept it there to surprise him."
"He said: 'Hello, I am Night. I'm fine.'" Night's mother Supaluk told AFP. "It's very good to see he is safe. I know he will be okay."