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  • The President: Thank you so much.

  • (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

  • broader agenda.

  • As some of you know, as President, a key priority of

  • my foreign policy has been to deepen our engagement

  • with the nations and peoples of the Asia Pacific.

  • And here, on the final leg of my last visit to Asia as

  • President, I want to discuss why the commitment of the

  • United States to this region will endure for the long term.

  • America's interest in the Asia Pacific is not new.

  • It's not a passing fad.

  • It reflects fundamental national interests.

  • And in the United States, across the political

  • spectrum, there's widespread recognition that the Asia

  • Pacific will become even more important in the

  • century ahead, both to America and to the world.

  • In this region, we see hundreds of millions of

  • young people with high expectations for their lives.

  • With many of our major trading partners and most of

  • the world's growing middle class, growth here can mean

  • more jobs and opportunity in all countries.

  • This region is home to five of our treaty allies and

  • some of the world's most capable militaries, which

  • means Asia will shape the course of global security.

  • And this region is home to more than half of humanity

  • -- Asian nations, developing and developed, who will be

  • essential in the fight against challenges like

  • climate change.

  • So for all these reasons, I've worked to rebalance our

  • foreign policy so the United States is playing a larger

  • and long-term role in the Asia Pacific region.

  • We've strengthened our alliances.

  • With our new defense guidelines, Japan and the

  • United States will do even more together to uphold

  • regional security.

  • We've expanded our collaboration with the

  • Republic of Korea, including on missile defense to

  • counter North Korean threats.

  • Today, I'll be meeting with President Park to reaffirm

  • our unbreakable alliance and to insist that the

  • international community remain united so that North

  • Korea understands that its provocations will only

  • continue to deepen its isolation.

  • With our U.S.

  • Marines now rotating through Australia, we can respond

  • even faster to regional challenges.

  • And with our new access agreement with the

  • Philippines, our militaries are closer than they've been

  • in decades.

  • To keep the peace and deter aggression, we've deployed

  • more of our most advanced military capabilities to the

  • region, including ships and aircraft to Singapore.

  • And by the end of the decade, a majority of our

  • Navy and Air Force fleets will be based out

  • of the Pacific.

  • And our allies and partners are collaborating more with

  • each other as well.

  • So our alliances and defense capabilities in the Asia

  • Pacific are as strong as they've ever been.

  • We've also forged deeper ties with emerging economies

  • and emerging powers.

  • With Indonesia and Malaysia, we're promoting

  • entrepreneurship.

  • We're opposing violent extremism, and we're

  • addressing environmental degradation.

  • With my recent visit to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City,

  • we've shown our commitment to fully normalizing our

  • relationship with Vietnam.

  • We've elevated our ties with India across the board, and

  • we welcome India's growing role in the Asia Pacific.

  • We've deepened our cooperation with regional

  • institutions, especially here in Southeast Asia.

  • And as part of our new strategic partnership with

  • ASEAN, we've agreed to key principles, including that

  • ASEAN will remain central to peace, prosperity and

  • progress in the Asia Pacific.

  • The United States is now part of the East Asia

  • Summit, and together we've made it the leading forum in

  • the region for addressing political and security

  • challenges, including maritime security.

  • We've increased the trade and investment that creates

  • jobs and opportunity on both sides of the Pacific.

  • Since I took office, we've boosted U.S.

  • exports to the Asia Pacific by 50 percent.

  • Our young leaders' initiative is helping more

  • than 100,000 young men and women across this region

  • start new companies and ventures.

  • So we're connecting entrepreneurs and investors

  • and businesses in America and in ASEAN with each other.

  • And thanks to our sustained leadership, 12 of our

  • nations have come together in the Trans-Pacific

  • Partnership to establish the rules of trade for nearly 40

  • percent of the global economy.

  • We've also stood with citizens on behalf of

  • democracy and human rights.

  • We've expanded our support for civil society groups and

  • open government.

  • We saw another democratic election and transition

  • in Indonesia.

  • And as the first U.S.

  • president to visit Myanmar, I am proud that the United

  • States encouraged and now is supporting a historic

  • transition toward democracy.

  • And I look forward to welcoming State Counselor

  • Aung San Suu Kyi to the White House next week as we

  • stand with the people of Myanmar in their journey

  • towards pluralism and peace.

  • And alongside all these efforts, we've worked to

  • build a constructive relationship with China.

  • Our two governments continue to have serious differences

  • in important areas.

  • The United States will remain unwavering in our

  • support for universal human rights, but at the same

  • time, we've shown that we can work together to advance

  • mutual interests.

  • The United States and China are engaged across more

  • areas than ever before -- from preventing Iran from

  • obtaining a nuclear weapon, to our shared commitment to

  • denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula, to our historic

  • leadership together on climate change.

  • So I will say it again: The United States welcomes the

  • rise of a China that is peaceful and stable and

  • prosperous and a responsible player in global affairs,

  • because we believe that that will benefit all of us.

  • In other words, the United States is more deeply

  • engaged across the Asia Pacific than we have been

  • in decades.

  • Our position is stronger.

  • And we've sent a clear message that, as a Pacific

  • nation, we're here to stay.

  • In good times and bad, you can count on the United

  • States of America.

  • And the question going forward is, what will the

  • future hold for this region?

  • Will disagreements be resolved peacefully, or lead

  • to conflict?

  • Will economies continue to integrate, or succumb to

  • mercantilism or protectionism?

  • Will human dignity be upheld, or will it be denied?

  • Will the international rules and norms that have enabled

  • progress in this region be maintained, or will they erode?

  • So with the time I have left, allow me to share our

  • vision, the values that guide us, and the future

  • we're working toward; our basic principles for peace

  • and progress here in this region, including Laos, and

  • across the Asia Pacific.

  • First, we believe that all nations and peoples deserve

  • to live in security and peace.

  • We believe that the sovereignty and territorial

  • integrity of every nation must be upheld.

  • And we believe that every nation matters, no matter

  • their size.

  • We believe that bigger nations should not dictate

  • to smaller nations, and that all nations should play by

  • the same rules.

  • America's treaty allies must know our commitment to your

  • defense is a solemn obligation that will

  • never waiver.

  • And across the region, including in the East and

  • South China Seas, the United States will continue to fly

  • and sail and operate wherever international law

  • allows, and support the right of all countries to do

  • the same.

  • We will stand with our allies and partners in

  • upholding fundamental interests, among them

  • freedom of navigation and overflight, lawful commerce

  • that's not impeded, and peaceful resolution

  • of disputes.

  • That's the security that we seek.

  • We also believe that just as nations have rights, nations

  • also have responsibilities, including the responsibility

  • to work together to address problems no nation can

  • solve alone.

  • So many of today's threats transcend borders, and every

  • country has a role to play.

  • We will have to cooperate better together to stop

  • terrorist attacks, and to prevent the spread of the

  • world's most dangerous weapons.

  • We will have to work together to avoid the worst

  • effects of climate change.

  • We have to work together to stop the horror of human

  • trafficking, and end the outrage of modern-day slavery.

  • These are areas where we seek deeper cooperation.

  • We believe in prosperity that is shared and that

  • reduces poverty and inequality by lifting up the

  • many and not just a few wealthy people at the top.

  • Rather than simply extracting another country's

  • natural resources, we believe development has to

  • invest in people -- in their education and in their skills.

  • We believe that trade should be free and truly fair, and

  • that workers and the environment should

  • be protected.

  • We believe that governments should not conduct or

  • knowingly support cyber-enabled theft of

  • intellectual property for commercial gain.

  • And we believe that there needs to be good governance,

  • because people should not have to pay a bribe to start

  • a business or sell their goods.

  • And that's the kind of development and the kind of

  • trade that we seek.

  • That's why the Trans-Pacific Partnership is so important

  • -- not only because TPP countries, including the

  • United States, will be able to sell more goods to each

  • other, but it also has important strategic benefits.

  • TPP is a core pillar of America's rebalance to the

  • Asia Pacific.

  • And the trade and the growth it supports will reinforce

  • America's security alliances and regional partnerships.

  • It will build greater integration and trust across

  • this region.

  • And I have said before and I will say again: Failure to

  • move ahead with TPP would not just have economic

  • consequences, but would call into question America's

  • leadership in this vital region.

  • So as difficult as the politics are back home, I

  • will continue to push hard on the U.S.

  • Congress to approve TPP before I leave office,

  • because I think it is important for this entire

  • region and it is important for the United States.

  • I believe that nations are stronger and more successful

  • when they uphold human rights.

  • We speak out for these rights not because we think

  • our own country is perfect -- no nation is -- not

  • because we think every country should do as we do,

  • because each nation has to follow its own path.

  • But we will speak up on behalf of human rights

  • because we believe they are the birthright of every

  • human being.

  • And we know that democracy can flourish in Asia because

  • we've seen it thrive from

  • Japan and South Korea to Taiwan.

  • Across this region, we see citizens reaching to shape

  • their own futures.

  • And freedom of speech and assembly, and the right to

  • organize peacefully in civil society without harassment

  • or fear of arrest or disappearing we think makes

  • a country stronger.

  • A free press that can expose abuse and injustice makes a

  • country stronger.

  • And access to information and an open Internet where

  • people can learn and share ideas makes a country stronger.

  • An independent judiciary that upholds the rule of

  • law, and free and fair elections so that citizens

  • can choose their own leaders -- these are all the rights

  • that we seek for all people.

  • We believe that societies are more stable and just

  • when they recognize the inherent dignity of every

  • human being -- the dignity of being able to live and

  • pray as you choose, so that Muslims know they are a part

  • of Myanmar's future, and Christians and Buddhists

  • have the right to worship freely in China.

  • The dignity of being treated equally under the law, so

  • that no matter where you come from or who you love or

  • what you look like you are respected.

  • And the dignity of a healthy life -- because no child

  • should ever die from hunger or a mosquito bite, or the

  • poison of dirty water.

  • This is the justice that we seek in the world.

  • And finally, we believe that the ties between our nations

  • must be rooted in friendship and trust between our peoples.

  • I think of several Laotian Americans whose families

  • came to the United States as refugees.

  • Our nations are connected not just by policies, but

  • also by people like John Douangdara -- whose family

  • settled in our state of Nebraska -- and after high

  • school joined our military, served with our elite

  • Special Forces, and ultimately gave his life for

  • our nation.

  • His mother said, "He is a son of the Lao people."

  • And he sacrificed for us, and we honor him.

  • We're connected by Channapha Khamvongsa, who came to

  • America when she was seven years old and who is back

  • here today.

  • And for years, she urged the United States to do more to

  • help remove unexploded bombs here in Laos.

  • "There are many, many problems in this world that

  • might not be able to be solved in a lifetime," she's

  • said, but this is one we can fix.

  • So, Channapha, we thank you for working to fix

  • this problem.

  • And we're connected by Stacey Phengvath, who is

  • here as well and who I met earlier.

  • Her parents came to America and stressed the importance

  • of education.

  • And today, this proud Laotian American serves at

  • our embassy here in Laos.

  • "I feel a sense of home," she says, "as if I have

  • known this country before, through my parents."

  • It feels "like we've come full circle."

  • So, Stacey, on behalf of all of us, thank you for helping

  • to bring our countries closer together.

  • (applause)

  • So these are the values that guide us.

  • And this is the partnership that America offers here in

  • Laos and across the Asia Pacific.

  • Respect for your sovereignty.

  • Security and peace through cooperation.

  • Investment in the health of children.

  • Education for students.

  • Support for entrepreneurs.

  • Development and trade that creates jobs for all of us

  • and protects our environment.

  • A commitment to rights and dignity that is borne out of

  • our common humanity.

  • This is our vision.

  • This is the future we can realize together.

  • And based on my visit to Laos and the proud work of

  • the past eight years, I believe that Americans and

  • the peoples of the Asia Pacific will be able to say

  • to each other, as the song goes, "we will always have

  • you as our true friend as long as we live."

  • Khop jai lai lai.

  • Thank you very much.

  • (applause)

The President: Thank you so much.

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美國總統 (President Obama Speaks to the People of Laos)

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    hanton 發佈於 2016 年 09 月 09 日
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