Funerary rites will be held in England and Thailand tomorrow for the teen football player who died under mysterious circumstances at a football academy five years after he was rescued from a flooded cave.
Ceremonies for Duangphet “Dom” Phromthep will be held in Leicester, England, and the Mae Dai district of Chiang Rai province, after which his ashes will be returned home to Thailand on Saturday.
Duangphet’s mother, Thanaporn Phromthep, told reporters that the family has been making merit to monks every morning since the 17-year-old student was found unconscious in his dorm room at Brooke House College in Leicester. She said she and other family members would be present for his cremation in England prior to returning home with his ashes.
Thanaporn said that her son’s ashes would then be brought to a traditional merit-making ceremony for three days and two nights at Wat Phra That Doi Wao, located just up the road from where he spent 18 days trapped inside Tham Luang with 11 other young footballers and their 25-year-old coach in 2018.
After the rites, his ashes will be spread in a ceremony at the Mekong River in nearby Chiang Saen district.
No clear reason for Duangphet’s death has been made public despite rumors in media reports that he suffered a fatal head injury. According to the BBC, his death was not being investigated as suspicious.
Duangphet had been studying at the college since late last year.
Thai footballer and philanthropist Kiatisuk “Zico” Senamuang, whose foundation paid for Duangphet to study at the college, said earlier this month that he had died in an accident.
Kiatisuk broke the news of his death on Feb. 15. The college later said Duangphet was found unresponsive in his room on Feb. 12 and died two days later at the hospital.
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