[h=1]Obama hits the tourist trail on the banks of the Mekong: President visits Buddhist temple and sips from a coconut during historic visit to Laos[/h]
Obama paid tribute to Laotian culture and said US had an 'obligation' to clean up millions of unexploded bombs
He also met a survivor maimed by American bombs covertly dropped on Laos during the Vietnam War
For Obama, the visit serves as a capstone to his effort to bolster relations with south-east Asian countries
He has placed particular emphasis on trying to heal wounds inflicted by the secret war US waged on Laos
By THOMAS BURROWS and ASSOCIATED PRESS PUBLISHED: 08:06, 7 September 2016 | UPDATED: 16:36, 7 September 2016
Hitting the tourist trail, President Obama toured a Buddhist temple and enjoyed a refreshment from a coconut during his historic visit to Laos. Making the first trip to the nation as a sitting president, Obama paid tribute to Lao culture and said the US would fulfill its 'profound moral and humanitarian obligation' to clean up millions of unexploded bombs. The president also met a survivor maimed by American bombs covertly dropped on Laos during the Vietnam War
Obama visited Luang Prabang in the mountainous north, a UNESCO World Heritage site that was a hub for Buddist faith during the Lan Xang kingdom starting in the 14th century. His first stop in the city was Wat Xieng Thong, a 16th century complex of ornate gold buildings known as the 'Temple of the Golden City'.
Greeting the temple monks, Obama tried to shake hands with about 20 boys in bright orange robes, but was informed by his guide they weren't supposed to shake hands. Instead, he posed for a group photo before heading to a shop to buy gifts for daughters Sasha and Malia. After emerging with three bags, Obama went to a nearby coconut stand and drank from one of the fruits through a straw. Taking questions later from young Southeast Asians at a town hall-style event, Obama said the US could be a great force for good but has been constrained by the fact that many Americans know too little about other countries. He said: 'If you are the United States, sometimes you can feel lazy and think, you know, we're so big, we don't really have to know anything about other people. That's part of what I'm trying to change.'
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Obama visited victims of amputations due to accidents caused by unexploded bombs dropped by the US during Vietnam War
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The president has pledged to spend $90million over the three years to help clear the unexploded bombs in Laos (pictured: he meets with ordinance detectors)
For Obama, the visit serves as a capstone to his long-term effort to bolster relations with south-east Asian countries long overlooked by the US. It is part of Obama's efforts to shift US diplomatic and military resources away from the Middle East and into Asia to counter China's dominance in the region. He has placed a particular emphasis on trying to heal wounds inflicted by the secret war the US waged during the Vietnam War. For nine years, the US dropped more than 270million bombs in Laos during the so-called 'Secret War'.
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In shirt sleeves and black socks, Obama looked in awe at a large golden ship adorned at the bow with dragons, staring straight at the dragon's mouth
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The tour is part of Obama's efforts to shift US diplomatic and military resources away from the Middle East and into Asia to counter China's dominance in the region
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Obama greets monks at the Wat Xieng Thong Buddhist temple during his historic tour of the country
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Locals waved from shops and open air cafes, shook hands with the president and recorded the spectacle on their cellphones
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Obama has placed a particular emphasis on trying to heal wounds inflicted by the secret war the US waged during the Vietnam War
The bombings were part of a CIA-run, secret operation aimed at destroying the North Vietnamese supply routes along the Ho Chi Minh trail and wiping out its communist allies. They also left a trail of devastation in the country, which US planes used as a dumping ground for bombs when their original target was unavailable and planes could not land with explosives. One-third of the bombs failed to explode and across the country, more than 20,000 people have been killed or injured by bombs since the war, many of them children. The president has pledged to spend $90million over the three years to help clear the unexploded bombs still littering the fields of Laos. The US has contributed $100million to the effort in the last 20 years, as annual deaths have fallen from more than 300 to fewer than 50, the White House said.
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For nine years, the US dropped more than 270million bombs in Laos during the so-called 'Secret War'
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Obama toured the Cooperative Orthotic and Prosthetic Enterprise (COPE) Visitor Centre in Vientiane and has pledged to spent $90m over the next three years to help clear the unexploded bombs
Touring a rehabilitation center in Vientiane, the capital, Obama said: 'For the last four decades, Laotians have continued to live under the shadow of war. The war did not end when the bombs stopped falling.' Speaking to one survivor, Thoummy Silamphan, who uses a prosthetic after losing a hand to one of the bombs, he told him: 'I'm inspired by you'. The Lao government has said it would increase efforts to recover remains and account for Americans missing since the Vietnam War.
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Obama was given flowers as he arrived on Air Force One at the Luang Prabang International Airport
Why does Obama take his wedding band off? The President goes without his ring in Laos while Michelle stays home
Barack Obama might be making history as the first sitting US President to visit Laos, but he's doing it minus his wedding ring - as photographs from Wednesday show. While Michelle Obama remains in the US, her husband has been doing the rounds at the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit since Monday. But his speech to a group of youth leaders at a town hall conference (left) was notable for the wrong reason when it was noticed he'd slipped off his wedding band, The American Mirror reported. He was also seen on a tour of the Mekong River and other sights (right) without the ring. But it made a reappearance at an ASEAN dinner (inset) held Wednesday for conference attendees.
