President Obama in Laos – Youtube links to UXO stories

President Obama Speaks to the People of Laos
(Cultural Hall, Vientiane, Laos, 6 Sept 2016, published by the White House)

President Obama Delivers Remarks at the COPE Visitor Center
(COPE Centre, Vientiane, Laos, 7 September 2016, published by the White House)

Obama honors victims of American bombings in Laos
(7 September 2016, CBS This Morning)
President Obama spent his second day in Laos visiting a northern city known for its Buddhist temples. He also visited victims of American bombing from the Vietnam War and promised more money to help them. Margaret Brennan reports from Vientiane, the capital of Laos.

Victims of Laos’ Forgotten War
(Xepon, Laos, 7 September 2016, Financial Times)
Laos is still littered with unexploded bombs from the Vietnam war. The FT’s Michael Peel visits Xepon on the former Ho Chi Minh trail to talk to people who have suffered personally and see the clear up operation.

Brett Dakin, Legacies of War
(CTV Your Morning, September 8, 2016)
Brett Dakin discusses President Obama’s historic announcement and what it means to those who have fought to address the legacies of war in Laos.

Laos still feeling the effects of the Vietnam War
(Laos, 5 September 2016, CBS Evening News)
President Obama’s trip to Laos is the first by a sitting U.S. president. He is expected to address a once-secret bombing program the U.S. led in the Vietnam war that Laos is still feeling today. Adriana Diaz reports.

Bomb Hunter In Laos Dismantles Leftover U.S. Bombs
(Laos, 10 September 2016, AJ+)
Barack Obama became the first U.S. president to visit Laos, where millions of unexploded American bombs dropped during the Vietnam War are still claiming lives to this day.

“Millions of People in Laos Still Live in Fear” as Obama Pledges $90 Million to Clean Up U.S. Bombs
(8 September 2016, Democracy Now)
As President Obama becomes the first American president to visit Laos, we look at the legacy of the U.S. bombing campaign there during the war on Vietnam.

QLA’s Executive Director meets with President Obama

QLA’s Executive Director, Thoummy Silamphan met with President Obama at the COPE Centre in Vientiane on 7 September 2016.

Having already been briefed about the work of the Quality of Life Association, the President was interested to hear about Thoummy’s personal journey. Having lost his left hand in a UXO accident when he was 8 years old, Thoummy now leads the QLA team (all Lao nationals, some UXO survivors themselves) helping UXO survivors in Xieng Khouang Province.

The President acknowledged the great work that QLA does and told Thoummy he was proud and inspired by the work he is doing.  He said that the US wants to help organisations such as QLA to make sure UXO survivors receive the assistance they need and to clear away the bombs.
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President Obama’s message in the Guestbook of the COPE Centre in Vientiane, 7 September 2016