(applause)

Thank you.

Sabaidii!

Sabaidee bor?

Audience: Sabaidii.

To the government and the people of Laos, thank you so

much for the kind welcome that you've extended to me

and my delegation.

I am very honored to be the first American president to

visit Laos.

(applause)

Thank you.

I am told that this hall is where you come together for

the national singing contest.

And I know that you celebrate your musical

traditions, including kap lam.

But I'm not going to sing today, so you should not worry.

As you host leaders from across Southeast Asia and

beyond, I do want to thank Laos for your leadership as

this year's chair of ASEAN.

Today, the eyes of the world are on Laos.

And I know that that may be a little unusual, because

Laos is a small nation next to larger neighbors and, as

a result, too often, the richness of your culture has

not been fully appreciated.

And that's why, as part of my visit, I'm grateful for

the opportunity to know Laos better, and to help share

your story with the world.

I know that here, you cherish the beauty of the

land -- the mist-covered mountains and sunsets over

the Mekong.

The achievements of ancient civilizations that echo in

the ruins of Vat Phou, and palm leaf manuscripts that

are preserved at your temples.

Tomorrow, I'll experience some of this heritage myself

when I visit Luang Prabang.

I only regret that -- I know this is called the Land of a

Million Elephants, but Secret Service will not let

me ride an elephant.

(laughter)

But maybe I'll come back when I'm no

longer President.

But in countless stupas and in your daily lives, we see

the strength that draws -- so many of you from your

Buddhist faith -- a faith that tells you that you have

a moral duty to each other, to live with kindness and

honesty, and that we can help end suffering if we

embrace the right mindset and the right actions.

And in literature like the epic of Sinxay, we see the

values that define the people of Laos, which is

modesty and compassion, and resilience and hope.

At our luncheon today, I was treated to the best of Lao

culture and cuisine, including khao niaw.

I did not get any Beerlao, but I will try some later,

maybe this evening.

(laughter)

And in all of you here today -- and

especially the young people of Laos -- we see the

diversity that is the strength of this nation.

You have Lao and Khmu and Hmong, and a tapestry of

proud ethnic groups and indigenous peoples.

So you are truly a people of the heart, and I thank you

for welcoming me with such generosity, your nam jai.

I realize that having a U.S.

president in Laos would have once been unimaginable.

Six decades ago, this country fell into civil war.

And as the fighting raged next door in Vietnam, your

neighbors and foreign powers, including the United

States, intervened here.

As a result of that conflict and its aftermath, many

people fled or were driven from their homes.

At the time, the U.S.

government did not acknowledge America's role.

It was a secret war, and for years, the American people

did not know.

Even now, many Americans are not fully aware of this

chapter in our history, and it's important that we

remember today.

Over nine years -- from 1964 to 1973 -- the United States

dropped more than two million tons of bombs here

in Laos -- more than we dropped on Germany and Japan

combined during all of World War II.

It made Laos, per person, the most heavily bombed

country in history.

As one Laotian said, the "bombs fell like rain."

Villages and entire valleys were obliterated.

The ancient Plain of Jars was devastated.

Countless civilians were killed.

And that conflict was another reminder that,

whatever the cause, whatever our intentions, war inflicts

a terrible toll, especially on innocent men, women

and children.

Today, I stand with you in acknowledging the suffering

and sacrifices on all sides of that conflict.

And from the anguish of war, there came an unlikely bond

between our two peoples.

Today, the United States is home to many proud

Laotian Americans.

Many have made a hard journey through refugee

camps and relocation, building new lives in a

new country.

And even as they've become Americans, they've held on

to their Lao heritage -- worshipping in their

temples, honoring their elders, dancing the lamvong.

Even now, they remember a beloved song -- that "If we

depart from our homeland and flee far away from her, we

will always have you as our true friend as long

as we live."

And as a new generation has come of age, more Laotian

Americans have made the journey here to their

ancestral homeland.

Said one of them who was born in Vientiane, our

"heart and home have always been in Laos."

And this spirit of reconciliation is what

brings me here today.

Our two governments will continue to

have differences.

That's true with many nations.

As we do around the world, the United States will

continue to speak up on behalf of what we consider

universal human rights, including the rights of the

people of Laos to express yourselves freely and decide

your own future.

Yet even as our governments deal candidly with our

differences, I believe, as we have shown from Cuba to

Burma to Vietnam, the best way to deliver progress for

all of our peoples is by closer cooperation between

our countries.

And that's why, today, the United States and Laos have

agreed to a new comprehensive partnership to

guide and deepen our relationship for years

to come.

Our partnership recognizes that the Lao People's

Democratic Republic is an independent, sovereign nation.

The United States does not seek to impose our will on Laos.

Rather, we seek a relationship based on mutual

respect, including respect for your independence and

your sovereignty.

Our new partnership will continue to deal with the

painful legacy of war.

And on behalf of the American people, especially

our veterans and military families, I thank the

government and the people of Laos for your humanitarian

cooperation as we've worked together to account for

Americans missing in action.

And I'm pleased that, as a result of this visit, we

will increase our efforts and bring more of our

missing home to their families in America.

I also know that the remnants of war continue to

shatter lives here in Laos.

Many of the bombs that were dropped were never exploded.

Over the years, thousands of Laotians have been killed or

injured -- farmers tending their fields,

children playing.

The wounds -- a missing leg or arm -- last a lifetime.

And that's why, as President, I've dramatically

increased our funding to help remove these

unexploded bombs.

As a result, Laos is clearing more bombs.

Fewer Laotians are being hurt or killed.

And together, we are saving lives.

But there is still much more work to do.

So today, I'm proud to announce a historic increase

in these efforts.

The United States will double our annual funding to

$90 million over the next three years to help Laos

expand its work.

(applause)

This will help Laos expand its work to

remove even more bombs, allow Laotians to farm more

land, and increase support for victims.

I'll bear witness to this work tomorrow when I meet

with survivors.

Given our history here, I believe that the United

States has a moral obligation to help Laos heal.

And even as we continue to deal with the past, our new

partnership is focused on the future.

We want to be your partners as you invest in the

well-being of your people, and especially your children.

I believe that when any child anywhere goes hungry,

when their growth is stunted, that's a

profound injustice.

So we're joining with Laos to promote nutrition and

bring more healthy meals to children in school so they

can grow strong, focus in class, and realize their

full potential.

We want to be your partner in improving education.

I'm told that there's a saying here -- "a tray full

of silver is not worth a mind full of knowledge."

[1] So we'll help more children learn how to read.

We'll bring more American teachers here to help teach

English, and more Lao teachers to America to

strengthen their English.

And I'm proud to announce that an initiative that's

very important to me and to my wife Michelle, an

initiative called Let Girls Learn, is coming to Laos

and Nepal.

(applause)

We believe that the daughters of Laos have

just as much talent and potential as your sons.

(applause)

And none of our countries anywhere in the

world can truly succeed unless our girls and our

women have every opportunity to succeed, the same

opportunities as boys and men do.

(applause)

We want to be your partner with the young people of

Laos as you strengthen your communities and start

businesses, and use Facebook to raise awareness for the

rights and dignity of all people.

And that's why, as part of our Young Southeast Asian

Leaders Initiative, we're helping young men and women

across Laos develop the skills you need to succeed.

Two of our top companies -- Microsoft and General

Electric -- are helping to increase training in

engineering and technology.

Young people in Laos shouldn't have to move

someplace else in order to prosper.

You should be able to work and build a better life

right here in Laos.

And we want to be your partners as Laos forges

greater trade and commerce with the world.

When other countries invest here, it should create jobs

here for the people of Laos.

So as Laos pursues economic and labor reforms, we'll

work to encourage more trade and investment between our

two countries, and between Laos and the rest of

this region.

As a result of my visit, I hope that more Americans

come here as well, to experience your country and

the beautiful culture, and to forge new friendships

between our peoples.

And as Laos grows, we want to be your partner in

protecting the natural beauty of your country, from

your forests to your rivers.

As Laos works to meet its growing need for energy, I

want to work with you to pursue clean, renewable

energies like solar.

And let's help farmers protect their crops, and

villages adapt to a changing climate.

We should work together so that development is

sustainable -- especially along the Mekong, upon which

millions of people depend for their livelihood and

their food and their health.

The Mekong is a treasure that has to be protected for

future generations, and we want to be your partner in

that process.

So this is the future our two countries can build

together, and I'm optimistic that we can do it.

I'm confident because my visit is part of a