S'pore Diver Who Rescued Thai Cave Boys Opens Up About Hard-Drinking Father

Diver Douglas Yeo was involved in the rescue operations for the 12 boys and their football coach who were trapped in the Tham Luang cave in Thailand last July.

The first thought that crossed his mind at the cave: "If those were my boys, what would I do?"

The ex-RSAF weapons specialist might be a devoted father of three, but few know that, as a child, he was disillusioned with the idea of family and home when his hard-drinking seaman father hit him.

Despite his father's temper and ego, Douglas still considered him his hero, a "very principled man" who didn't want money, only what he wanted – beer and cigarettes.

"Dad had his soft side," Douglas recalls. "He took good care of the kids and family at times, but he didn't really want to show it."

The biggest lesson he's learnt from his troubled relationship with his father: "I always tell myself, I don't want to be an angry father. I want to be a happy father."

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