A day after announcing $90 million to survey and remove unexploded ordinance, Obama visited a US-backed NGO which helps provide prosthetics to the tens of thousands maimed by U.S. munitions.
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During the first-ever visit to Laos by a USA president, Barack Obama announced Tuesday that America will put $90 million toward removing unexploded bombs from the Southeast Asian country. The first USA president to set foot in Laos while in office, Obama lamented that many Americans remain unaware of the “painful legacy” left behind. Instead, he said he hoped the strengthened partnership on clearing the bombs could mark a “decisive step forward” between the United States and this landlocked communist nation. The White House then said Obama might speak with Duterte informally. ABC News says Obama will meet Wednesday with some of the survivors of the bombings during the secret war.
The president did not formally apologize for the bombing. Mr. Obama announced he would double spending for unexploded ordnance, committing $90 million over the three years.
In return, leaders in Laos said they would step up efforts to recover remains and missing American soldiers.
From 1964 to 1973, United States warplanes dropped more than 270 million cluster munitions on the communist country, one-third of which did not explode, the Lao National Regulatory Authority for UXO says. As this year’s chair, the thee-day gathering has thrust Laos into the spotlight – a still relatively undeveloped nation whose nominally communist government struggles with corruption, repression and economic growth. “We would like to work with the Philippines to rebuild bilateral trust and improve bilateral relations”.
President Obama has cancelled a planned meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines after he called Obama the “son-of-a-whore”. The Philippines also was preparing for talks with China, but fixing ties with the USA has become a top priority after Obama canceled the summit.
Laos is the third and last leg of her eight-day trip that also took her to Russian Federation and China.
On Monday, hours before arriving in Laos, Duterte told Philippine reporters he wouldn’t accept questions from Obama about extrajudicial killings that have occurred during his crackdown on suspected drug dealers and users.
Later in the speech, Obama said he believes that “nations are stronger and more successful when they uphold human rights”.
Obama’s Asia project – dubbed his pivot or rebalance – has yielded uneven results, as conflict in the Middle East has continued to demand attention and China has bristled at what it views as meddling in its backyard.
With just four months left in office, Obama used the moment to reassert his aims.
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He would depart for the USA via Yokota, Japan for fuelling, soon after his news conference.
