The 12 boys, aged between 11 and 16, also request their favourite meals and say they want to go home as soon as possible

The 12 boys trapped in the Tham Luang cave network in northern Thailand have written notes to their parents, which have been delivered by Thai navy divers.

In the notes the children have said they want to go home as soon as they are out of the cave, that they are strong and not to worry about them. Many also placed requests for their favourite meals when they get out of the cave.

One boy told his parents: “Don’t worry, I’m fine. Please tell Yod to take me out to a fried chicken shop.”

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Another said: “I love you father and mother and Toy. If we can get out, please can you take me to eat at a pan-fried pork restaurant? I love you.”

One boy told his parents “Don’t worry that I am missing for two weeks, I will help you at the shop soon.”

Another said: “I’m fine but it’s a little bit cold, don’t worry and don’t forget my birthday.”

Adul, the boy who spoke with the English divers when they were found by them on Monday night, wrote: “Don’t worry about us now, I miss everyone. I want to go back now.”

In his note, the 25-year-old football coach, who accompanied the boys to the cave after football practice on 23 June, apologised to parents of the children. “To all the parents, all the kids are still fine. I promise to take the very best care of the kids,” wrote Ekkapol Chantawong in a note. “I want to say thanks for all the support and I want to apologise to the parents.”

He also addressed his family: “I am well. Do not worry about me so much. Please look after yourself. Uncle, please tell Grandma to cook some crispy pork rind with a spicy dip. I will eat when I get out. I love you all.”

Richard Barrow in Thailand (@RichardBarrow) Letter from Coach Aek to the parents: The children are well. The rescue team are looking after us well. I promise I will look after your children to the best of my ability. Thank you for your support. I want to also sincerely apologize to all of the parents. #ThamLuang #Thailand pic.twitter.com/Sx1Wu13FHW

The 12 boys, aged between 11 and 16, who went on an excursion to the Tham Luang network, became trapped inside the caves when monsoon rains arrived and flooded them in. They have now been trapped inside the cave for 14 days. During this time they have been unable to communicate with their parents.

Officials have been working to establish a telephone line into the cave so the boys can talk to their families, but water damaged the cable. The boys have not yet been able to hear their parents’ voices, though anxious relatives waiting outside the cave have been able to see the boys through videos shot by rescue divers.

It was announced yesterday that divers would take letters between the boys and their relatives so they could communicate, which Thai navy Seal divers posted to Facebook.

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There is great uncertainty about the rescue efforts to bring the boys out of the cave. Officials have been attempting to drain the cave so the boys do not have to dive out of the cave in treacherous conditions and have succeeded in reducing water levels in the first section of the cave to the point that people can wade in and out. But there are still sections of the cave that are flooded and would require anyone traversing them to dive.

The danger of the dive was highlighted yesterday when a former Thai navy Seal diver, Saman Kunan, 38, died while returning from depositing tanks of air along the cave system.

The governor announced on Saturday that they were also looking into drilling down to the boys and are searching the surface of the ground above where they believe the boys to be for shafts that might lead to them. However, the Chiang Rai governor Narongsak Osatanakorn said the task was extremely difficult and compared it to shooting at a specific tree in a forest.