Aiming for closer ties to Laos, Obama honors its culture

President Barack Obama linked US Olympic prowess to the country’s racial and ethnic diversity today, as he urged young Southeast Asians to support inclusive societies.

Obama used a visit to the northern city of Luang Prabang to push back against an America-centric world view promulgated by Republican Donald Trump. Speaking at a Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) town hall at Souphanouvong University, during his visit to Laos on 7 September, the Potus also accused the U.S. of being lazy in regards to climate control and the environment.

He also pushed back against the Republican nominee’s proposals such a building a wall between the USA and Mexico, and temporarily banning Muslim immigrants.

“And typically, when people feel stressed, they turn on others who don’t look like them”, Mr. Obama said.

“We have to be able to promote principles that rise above any individual religion, nationality, race”, Obama said. “I’ll leave it at that”, he added, taking a dig at Trump.

Between 1964 and 1973, the USA conducted 580,000 bombing missions over Laos, dropping 270 million cluster bombs on the officially neutral country. He sought to use his presence and the spotlight that follows him to bring attention to an unfamiliar corner of the world. Protected by the United Nations cultural heritage agency UNESCO, Luang Prabang is one of the most alluring places in the region – a city that evokes old-world romance that has gained a reputation as a travellers’ Shangri La.

Sasha Obama greets monks as he tours the Wat Xieng Thong Buddhist Temple.

“It’s gorgeous”, he said as he examined a line of golden statues. Instead, he posed for a group photo before heading to a shop to buy gifts for daughters Sasha and Malia.

President Obama blamed the failure to pass a multinational trade agreement on the US presidential election campaign Wednesday, saying it’s hard to get things done during political season.

Obama paid tribute to survivors maimed by some of the 80 million unexploded bombs America dropped on Laos during the war.

Obama announced his plan to double the amount of aid the US gives to Laos to $30 million per year for three years.

Obama tours the Cooperative Orthotic and Prosthetic Enterprise visitor center in Vientiane. “The war did not end when the bombs stopped falling”.

“Because we have people who came from everywhere, we have people of all different types for every sport, so we have really tall people to play basketball or to swim, we have little people for gymnastics”, he said. He insisted those were “not just statistics”, but reminders of the heavy toll inflicted by war – “some of them unintended”.