President Michael D. Higgins begins Official Visit to Lao People’s Democratic Republic
Date: Mon 14th Nov, 2016 | 16:47
14 November 2016
President Michael D. Higgins, accompanied by his wife Sabina, will begin an official visit to Vientiane, the capital of Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) on Tuesday 15 November.
The President will be accompanied by Minister of State for Training, Skills and Innovation, John Halligan TD.
The visit by the President, the first by an Irish Head of State, will support the development of stronger relations with the country, through discussions about Ireland’s international priorities, the promotion of cultural and education links, international development aid as well as of trade and investment relations.
The President’s visit will seek to support the socio-economic development of the region in the areas of nutrition, clearance of unexploded ordnance, green energy and small producer sustainability in the agricultural area.
He will discuss the future of ecologically sustainable tourism, including through the Irish Aid programme.
The President’s official visit commences on 15 November, with a meeting with President Bounnhang Vorachith. The President will go on to have a bilateral meeting with the Chairperson of the National Assembly Ms. Pany Yathotou. This will be followed by a meeting with Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith.
On Tuesday evening, the President will attend a State Banquet hosted in his honour by President Bounnhang Vorachith and his wife, which will also include a performance of Lao traditional music.
On Wednesday 16 November, President and Sabina Higgins will visit the Wat Sasiket temple, a Buddhist monastery in the centre of Vientiane. The President will also visit the training centre of Lao National Institute of Tourism and Hospitality (LANITH), which has received training for teachers in hospitality management and tourism from the Dublin Institute of Technology, with support from Irish Aid.
The President and Sabina Higgins will also have a meeting with the small Irish community in Lao PDR.
The President will also visit Mahasot Hospital, where women are supported in learning about early child nutrition before and after birth, through a partnership project between Government and civil society which is supported by Irish Aid.
On Wednesday 16 November, the President and Sabina Higgins will leave for Dublin, where the President will review a Guard of Honour at Áras an Uachtaráin, upon arrival on Thursday 17 November.
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· Lao PDR currently holds the Chairmanship of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN).
· Lao PDR has a population of 6.8 million and with a GDP per capita of €1,609 it is the poorest country in the ASEAN region. However, it is one of the fastest growing economies in the Asia-Pacific region, with an approximate 7% annual growth rate.
· Irish Aid supports a modest aid programme in Lao PDR, which focuses on clearance of unexploded ordnance; addressing under-nutrition; and training for the Lao National Institute for Training and Hospitality (LANITH) in partnership with Dublin Institute of Technology.
· There is a small community of about 30 Irish people in the country.
· Lao PDR is, per capita, the most heavily bombed country in the world.
During the Second Indochina War between 1964 and 1973, more than 2 million tonnes of ordnance was dropped on the country, including about 270 million cluster munitions.
· Some 75 million unexploded bombs (UXO) were left after the war ended. Several decades later an estimated of 87,000 square kilometres of land remains potentially contaminated with unexploded ordnance. UXO clearance is a strong priority for the Government, which adopted an additional national Millennium Development Goal focused on clearance of unexploded ordnance and support to survivors.
· President Higgins has spoken, and will speak again, on the illegal bombing of Laos. On average, in the 1964-1973 period, the people of Laos had a bomb dropped on them every eight minutes. Clearance of unexploded ordnance is both vital for the country’s development, and slow.
· In 2014, President Michael D. Higgins met with Khanethavong Phoummsak and Viphaphorn Vongladsamee, the first two Lao nationals ever to study in Ireland.