President Barack Obama says the United States has a "moral obligation" to heal war wounds. He has pledged help to clear away 80 million unexploded bombs the country dropped on Laos a generation ago.
During the Vietnam War, the United States turned Laos into history's most heavily bombed country. The U.S. military rained down some two million tons of ordnance—more than 10 bombs for every one of the country's 7 million people.
Obama lamented that many Americans remain unaware of the "painful legacy" left behind by the bombs that still claim lives and limbs. He met yesterday with bomb survivors.
"The remnants of war continue to shatter lives here in Laos," Obama said. "Even as we continue to deal with the past, our new partnership is focused on the future.”
Obama announced America would double its spending on bomb-clearing efforts in the small, poverty-stricken country.
Thanks to global cleanup efforts, casualties from the tennis ball-sized "bombies" that still litter the Laotian countryside have dropped from hundreds to dozens per year.
In a speech during his visit, Obama said, "whatever the cause, whatever our intentions, war inflicts a terrible toll—especially on innocent men, women, and children."
