Xieng Khoung, Laos (CNN) For two years after the accident, Yei Yang refused to leave his home.

"I couldn't farm, I couldn't go to see friends, as they might be afraid of me," Yang tells CNN.

"I didn't want to live."

Yang was just 22 and burning rubbish near his village in the province of Xieng Khoung in north-eastern Laos, when a bomb blast tore off one of his eyelids, his top lip and an ear, mutilated one of his arms, and left him with severe scarring from the waist up.

"I remembered I burned the garbage, but after the explosion I was unconscious for two weeks," Yang says. "I felt extreme pain...all over my body. I still feel pain always."

His wounds were not caused by a modern day conflict, but by the remnants of a war that was waged more than 40 years ago, and is still destroying lives in this small Southeast Asian nation.

Some 80 million unexploded bombs are scattered across the country -- the deadly legacy of what became known as America's "secret war" in Laos -- a CIA-led mission during the Vietnam War.

2 million tons of explosive

The operation was aimed at blocking Vietnam's supply lines on the Ho Chi Minh Trail in the south of Laos, and also to support the Laos government loyalists in a civil war against communist forces in the north.

In total, between 1964 and 1973, the US dropped more than two million tons of bombs -- one of the heaviest aerial bombardments in history.

Most of the munitions dropped were cluster bombs, which splinter before impact, spreading hundreds of smaller bomblets -- known locally as "bombies."

To this day, less than 1% of the bombs have been removed, according to US-based NGO Legacies of War, which is spearheading the campaign to clear them.

"We were all but forgotten here," says the Laos-born founder of Legacies of War, Channapha Khamvongsa.

But the people of Laos can't forget, as the "secret war" is still claiming victims.

Photos: Clearing unexploded bombs in Laos The HALO Trust is the world's largest humanitarian mine clearance organization. It works in Laos to clear unexploded ordnance. Here, two HALO technicians use a Large Loop Detector to clear a hazardous area. Hide Caption 1 of 6 Photos: Clearing unexploded bombs in Laos HALO prioritizes land which will be used for community development projects and agricultural land. Hide Caption 2 of 6 Photos: Clearing unexploded bombs in Laos A HALO team walks through a paddy field to get to work. Dense vegetation and a very wet rainy season can make the job difficult. Hide Caption 3 of 6 Photos: Clearing unexploded bombs in Laos A HALO Technician uses a detector during the clearance of a Confirmed Hazardous Area (CHA). Hide Caption 4 of 6 Photos: Clearing unexploded bombs in Laos Ms Toyota, one of HALO's team leaders, prepares what she needs to conduct the demolition of a cluster munitions. Hide Caption 5 of 6 Photos: Clearing unexploded bombs in Laos A HALO supervisor shows where the organization has found items of unexploded ordnance -- the yellow sticks indicate how close they are to one village house. Hide Caption 6 of 6

Bombs mistaken for toys

More than 20,000 people have been killed or maimed by the unexploded ordnance (UXOs) since the war ended, and currently, 50 people are maimed or killed every year.

Around 40% of those are children.

"(The bombies) are tennis ball sized weapons," Khamvongsa says. "The children often mistake the bombs for toys, and pick them up and throw them around. This is often the cause of an explosion."

Farmers are also among the worst affected, as the poorest are forced to toil the mine-laden fields to feed their families.

"Eighty percent of people rely on their land to grow food in Laos," Khamvongsa says. "So they still use their land even at the risk of their own lives."

visit to Laos, by announcing President Barack Obama, who arrived in Vientiane late Monday, addressed the US wartime legacy during his three-dayvisit to Laos, by announcing $90 million in funding for bomb clearance

As the first US president to step foot inside the country, everything he says will be closely watched by the people of Laos.

"People are just anxious to hear what an American president has to say about it and to acknowledge what the US did here," Khamvongsa says. "This will bring greater visibility to what has happened."

Land that can't be farmed

It's not just the loss of life that has scarred the country.

With a quarter of villages in Laos contaminated with UXOs, it makes vast swathes of the Laos countryside unfarmable.

This contributes to widespread malnutrition and poverty, holding back economic development in a country that is already one of the poorest in Southeast Asia.

It's the young people of Laos -- 70% of the population is under 30 -- that bear the brunt of this deprivation.

Laos has the highest level of stunted growth linked to malnutrition in the region, with 40% of children affected, says Bernie Chaves, the Laos Country Representative for Catholic Relief Services (CRS), which runs a US-funded school meals program.

"You often see 14-year olds who look more like 10-year olds," he says.

"We are going to address directly this challenge of hunger," Kerry said.

U.S. aid to Laos has been rising steadily for years, and in 2016, Congress allocated $19.5 million for the removal of the bombs -- the highest level it has ever been.

Yei Yang with two of his three children.

I don't want my children to be victims

Khamvongsa says the problem will not be solved with short-term projects. What's needed, she says, "is a larger increase in funding, as well as a long-term sustained US commitment."

The hope is that the funds won't dry up after Obama leaves office.

"I personally believe that the U.S. has a moral responsibility to do this," Chaves says. "And increase in funding should be a priority of the next government coming in."

This sustained commitment is crucial to the country's future generations -- a huge concern for Yang, now aged 30 and a father of three young children.

He was engaged to be married and had a job as a laborer when the accident happened. Now, he's only able to do occasional work. His family depends on his wife's income and the support of a non-profit group World Education.

"I am worried that my children could become victims," he says. "(And) about how I will be able to raise my children."</s>PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Monday left for Laos to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summits, aiming to gather support from regional leaders and allies in addressing illegal drugs and terrorism following the weekend bombing in his home city of Davao.

Duterte will be joining his counterparts during the 28th and 29th Asean Summits and Related Summits, his first international engagement since he assumed office on June 30.

In his departure speech at the Davao airport, Duterte said he would take the opportunity to discuss during the meeting issues that affect peace, security, stability and the economy of the region.

“Recent events have shown that there are elements out there who seek to sow terror and wreak havoc in our society. We remain firm in our resolve, to combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations,” Duterte said.

“I will use the opportunity for meeting with other Asean leaders and Asean dialogue partners to seek better support to regional efforts to address terrorism and extreme violent extremism,” he added.

A blast in the Duterte’s home city of Davao that killed 14 people and wounded dozens nearly made him cancel his attendance to the Asean summits in Laos.

Duterte was supposed to leave for Brunei and meet Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah on September 4, but chose to stay in the Philippines after the Davao City attack.

In Laos, Duterte said he and Asean leaders would also discuss the way forward in realizing the “Asean Community Vision 2025” of a “rules-based, people oriented, people centered Asean.”

“The security of our region hinges at the cooperation of Asean member states as well as our dialogue partners. Consistent with the Philippines’ cornerstone programs, we will call for renewed cooperation for a drug-free Asean Community,” he said.

The President also said the Philippines would continue to engage with other countries to promote and protect migrant workers and build capacity to improve emergency response and disaster management.

While in Laos, the President is expected to participate in at least a dozen meetings, not counting his bilateral meetings with other leaders.

The President will join the opening ceremony of the Asean summits on Tuesday afternoon in the Laos National Convention Center and join the rest of the Asean leaders for their first plenary meeting.

Asean leaders are expected to issue the “Asean Declaration on One Asean, One Response: Asean Responding to Disasters as One in the Region and Outside the Region,” that will emphasize “Asean’s commitment to respond to disasters as a collective outfit.”

At the end of the summits on Thursday, Laos will hand over the Asean chairmanship to the Philippines.

“I have the honor to accept in behalf of the Philippines the Chairmanship of Asean in 2017 from Laos. This will formally mark an important leadership role for the Philippines in the region as we commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Association next year,” Duterte said.

From Laos, Duterte will proceed to a working visit to Indonesia, where he will meet President Joko Widodo.</s>A draft communique of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) seen by Reuters on Monday listed eight points related to the South China Sea, but made no mention of a high-profile July ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration, which invalidated Beijing's territorial claims.

The decision to exclude reference to the ruling represents a diplomatic victory for China, following ASEAN's decision at its last meeting in July to turn down a U.S.-backed proposal to include the landmark ruling in the text.

China refuses to recognize the case brought by the Philippines in 2013. Its outrage over the verdict has created regional concerns that Beijing might take a tougher line in future disputes.

Soon after the ruling in The Hague, the Philippines lobbied strongly at an ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting for the verdict to be included in the text of the communique, only for Cambodia, a China ally, to oppose it.

China has been accused of pressuring some countries in the consensus-led, 10-nation bloc to stymie what it sees as unfavorable proposals.

ASEAN does not include China, but leaders and senior representatives from China, the United States and other regional powers are attending the Laos summit.

Experts say that China's approach makes it harder for Southeast Asian states to form a unified front to counter Beijing's assertiveness over the strategic waterway.

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte wants to negotiate with Beijing, and has pledged not to rock the boat by discussing the ruling at this week's ASEAN and East Asia Summits in Laos.

But a few days before the meetings, the outspoken leader vowed to make no concessions towards China over the ruling, and demanded that Beijing explain why it had increased its boat presence around the disputed Scarborough Shoal.

Sek Wannamethee, a spokesman for Thailand's foreign ministry, said it was unclear from Senior Officials Meetings (SOM) if Manila would bring its concerns about China to the Laos forum.

"There is no indication at the preparatory ASEAN SOM yet as to what, if anything, the Philippines would raise at the summit regarding the South China Sea," Sek said.

The draft communique contained one new element on the South China Sea, welcoming the adoption of emergency hotlines and rules among ASEAN states and China to prevent military mishaps, known as the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea.</s>VIENTIANE: North Korea’s defiant missile testing and the South China Sea territorial row were among a barrage of security threats in focus on Thursday as US President Barack Obama gathered with East Asian leaders in Laos.

The annual event this year comes at a time of heightened tensions on a wide range of fronts across the region, with terrorism also a concern after deadly bomb blasts in Thailand and the Philippines in recent weeks.

Obama was due to meet on Thursday morning with the leaders of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) bloc, pitting him against firebrand Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte who this week branded him a “son of a whore.”

The expanded East Asia summit will then take place, which involves members of the long-running and increasingly fraught six-nation talks aimed at convincing North Korea to give up its nuclear ambitions.

Defying the international community and United Nations sanctions, North Korea on Monday conducted the latest in a series of ballistic missile tests that have rattled nerves across the region.

Obama warned on Monday shortly after arriving in Laos that Kim Jong-Un’s regime was dooming itself to further isolation, and the UN Security Council condemned the tests.

But North Korea responded in typically bellicose fashion, threatening on Wednesday to take “further significant measures.”

‘Serious concern’

 The 18 East Asia summit nations will voice “serious concern” over the latest North Korean tests, according to a draft of their end-of-meeting statement obtained by Agence-France Presse.

“We reaffirmed the importance of peace and security in this region and reiterated support for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in a peaceful manner,” the statement said.

The statement will also emphasize the importance of maintaining peace in the South China Sea, the other major regional flashpoint.

China came under pressure at Asean’s standalone summit on Tuesday and Wednesday over its land reclamation efforts in the sea, which are aimed at cementing control over the strategically vital waters.

An international tribunal ruled in July that Beijing’s claims to nearly all of the sea had no legal basis, and its artificial island-building activities were illegal.

Muted statement expected

 China insists it has sovereign rights to most of the sea — through which $5 trillion in global shipping trade passes annually — even waters close to Southeast Asian nations.

But it has vowed to ignore the ruling and the Philippines released photos on Wednesday claiming to show that Beijing was continuing with its island-building campaign.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has been in Laos this week and faced questioning over the issue, with Asean leaders voicing alarm.

“We remain seriously concerned over recent and ongoing developments and took note of the concerns expressed by some leaders on the land reclamations,” said a joint statement at the end of their summit on Wednesday.

Nevertheless, intensive Chinese lobbying helped to ensure there was no mention of the July ruling in the Asean statement.

The East Asia bloc was expected to urge all parties to follow international law, but otherwise release a muted statement on the South China Sea.

“We reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace, stability, security and freedom of navigation in and over-flight in the South China Sea,” the draft of its post-summit statement said.

A spectacular sideshow to this week’s diplomacy in Laos has been the spat between the acid-tongued Duterte and Obama, leaders of nations that have been longtime allies.

Duterte launched a barrage of insults against Obama after being told the US president planned to raise concerns about a war on crime in the Philippines that has claimed 3,000 lives in just over two months.

“You must be respectful. Do not just throw away questions and statements. Son of a whore, I will curse you in that forum,” Duterte told reporters.

Obama cancelled a meeting with Duterte scheduled for Tuesday because of the outburst.

They met briefly on Wednesday night before a leaders’ dinner, but only exchanged “pleasantries,” according to the White House.</s>DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 05 Sept) — President Rodrigo Duterte has vowed to seek “better support to address terrorism and violent extremism” during his first meeting with foreign leaders in the Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) and its dialogue partners this week.

“We remain firm in our resolve to combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations,” Duterte said in a statement he read before departing for Vientiane, Laos on Monday afternoon.

He said he will discuss with ASEAN leaders and the region’s dialogue partners such as Australia, China, India, japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Russia, and the United States regional and international issues that “impact on peace, security, stability, and prosperity.”

He said recent events ”have shown that there are elements out there who seek to sow terror and wreak havoc in our society,” apparently referring to Friday’s blast along Roxas Avenue where 14 people were killed and 70 others were injured.

“We remain committed to our duty to protect our citizens, I ask every Filipino to do his and her part for the sake of the country,” he said.

Duterte said he would take the opportunity at the ASEAN Summits to seek better regional support to address terrorism and extreme violent extremism that he said is a global concern that the a small country like Philippines must help address.

“Terrorism and violent extremism is a global concern, and the Philippines will do its part as a member of the international community,” he said. “He said security in the region hinders the cooperation of the ASEAN region member states as well as the dialogue partners,” he added.

Known for his anti-drugs campaign, Duterte said he will call on state leaders to renew cooperation for a drug-free ASEAN community.

The President said the ASEAN meet will be an “excellent opportunity to underscore the importance of the rule of law and peaceful settlement of disputes.”

“The interest of our people are at the heart of the ASEAN community building. And we shall work with our neighbors in addressing transnational issues such as trafficking of persons and terrorism and violent extremism,” he said.

On economic side, he said he wants to discuss how to make a more inclusive economy that would benefit more Filipino citizens by increasing connectivity in the region, improving trade, highlighting the importance of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), and conserving and sustaining the environment.

He also said he will engage ASEAN neighbors on upholding the rights of migrant workers and pushing for capacity-building to improve disaster response management.

Duterte will receive the chairmanship from Laos to host ASEAN summits in 2017, the 50th anniversary of the association next year. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)</s>VIENTIANE, Laos — A summit of Southeast Asian leaders to discuss issues ranging from terrorism to South China Sea tensions opened Tuesday, overshadowed by the Philippine president’s intemperate comments in his debut appearance at the annual meeting. The insult was made more egregious because of who the target was — President Barack Obama.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte occupied center stage on the eve of the summit Monday when he made comments about Obama that included a “son of a bitch” remark.

He was again in the spotlight Tuesday when he trooped into a conference hall in the Laotian capital of Vientiane wearing a traditional Filipino shirt with sleeves rolled up, and hands in pant pockets. The other male Southeast Asian leaders were dressed in dark business suits. Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi wore a mauve traditional dress.

Filipinos wear the “barong” shirt on formal occasions too, but with sleeves buttoned down at the wrists. Rolled-up sleeves are considered too casual for any formal setting, let alone an Asean summit. Duterte rolled his sleeves down and buttoned them when Laotian President Bounnhang Vorachith gave a speech to open the summit.

“Multifaceted security challenges have occurred in many parts of the world, such as terrorism and extremism, natural disasters, climate change, migration crisis, trafficking in people, territorial disputes and armed conflicts,” Bounnhang said. “At the same time, although the global economy has gradually recovered, growth remains slow and fragile.”

“There is a need for us to closely follow these developments and continue to enhance Asean cooperation and collaboration with the international community,” he said.

The 10-nation Asean comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The summit will be followed by a series of other meetings on Wednesday and a summit Thursday between leaders from Asean and other countries, including the United States, China, Russia, India, South Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.

Obama arrived in Vientiane on Monday night and will attend Thursday’s summit. Duterte also arrived Monday night.

But hours before his arrival, Duterte dropped a diplomatic bombshell by saying he doesn’t want Obama to ask him questions about extrajudicial killings that have occurred amid an ongoing crackdown on drug dealers in the Philippines. More than 2,000 people have been killed in the crackdown since he took office on June 30.

In his typical loose-tongued style, Duterte said: “I do not have any master except the Filipino people, nobody but nobody. You must be respectful. Do not just throw questions. Putang ina, I will swear at you in that forum,” he said, using the Tagalog phrase for “son of a bitch.”

Obama later canceled a bilateral meeting he was scheduled to have with Duterte in Vientiane. On Tuesday, Duterte expressed regret over the remarks, but the damage was already done.

Duterte is also planning to ask China’s premier at the Vientiane meetings whether China is trying to develop a disputed reef, Scarborough Shoal, off the Philippines’ northwestern coast, Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said.

The shoal is part of the larger dispute in the South China Sea between China and some Asean countries. An international arbitration panel recently ruled that China’s expansive claims in the sea are illegal. Beijing has rejected the ruling as a sham.

Although Asean has the power of the ruling behind it, its summit is unlikely to mention it in its final declaration, a reflection of Beijing’s diplomatic clout.

But according to a draft of the final statement Asean is scheduled to release on Thursday, the region’s leaders will express strong concern about Beijing’s construction of man-made islands in the South China Sea, which Southeast Asian countries fear could destabilize the region.

Duterte said last week that the Philippine coast guard has sighted Chinese barges at Scarborough, which he said could presage the transformation of the Chinese-held reef into another man-made island. One of the Chinese vessels had what appeared to be a crane, according to a Philippine official who did not want to be identified because he was not authorized to discuss classified intelligence.

China sparked widespread alarm when it converted seven reefs in the Spratly Islands into islands that the United States says could be transformed into military bases to reinforce Beijing’s territorial claims and intimidate rival claimant countries.

Duterte has taken a more conciliatory stance toward China than his predecessor. But a confirmation of Chinese reclamation activities at Scarborough Shoal, a rich fishing ground where Filipino fishermen have been forced away by Beijing’s coast guard, could impede relations.

US officials have also expressed deep concern over the possibility of China developing Scarborough into an island or starting to erect concrete structures there, which could reinforce Beijing’s control over a swath of the South China Sea.</s>Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday expressed deep concern at the rising “export of terror”, in an apparent reference to Pakistan, saying it is a common security threat to the region as he sought a coordinated response from ASEAN member nations to combat the menace.

While addressing the 14th ASEAN-India summit here, the Prime Minister also noted that growing radicalism through the ideology of hatred and spread of extreme violence are the other security threats.

“Export of terror, growing radicalisation and spread of extreme violence are common security threats to our societies,” he said in his second attack on Pakistan in two days amid escalating war of words between New Delhi and Islamabad. “The threat is local, regional, and transitional at the same time. Our partnership with ASEAN seeks to craft a response through coordination, cooperation at multiple levels,” Mr. Modi said.

He said that in the face of growing traditional and non traditional challenges, political cooperation has emerged as key in relations. “We are willing to take concrete steps to enhance cooperation in cyber security, de-radicalisation and counterterrorism,” he added.

On Monday, Mr. Modi made a sharp attack on Pakistan at the G20 summit, saying “one single nation” in South Asia is spreading “agents of terror” as he asserted that those who sponsor the menace must be sanctioned and isolated, not rewarded.

In his remarks on Thursday, the Prime Minister said that ASEAN is central to India’s Act East policy. “Our engagement driven by common priorities bringing peace, stability and prosperity to the region,” he told the 10-member grouping attended by Heads of state.

He said enhancing connectivity was central to India’s partnership with ASEAN. “Seamless digital connectivity between India and Southeast Asia is a shared objective. India committed to Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity,” Mr. Modi said.

Securing seas was a shared responsibility, he said, adding that sea lanes are “life lines of global trade.”

India supports freedom of navigation based on United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), he added. He thanked the member countries for sharing their views on “nature, direction and priorities of our engagement.”

“All three pillars of our partnership — security, economic and socio-cultural have registered good progress,” he said, adding that engagement of India-ASEAN is of “economic optimism.”

“We continue to expand and deepen our economic engagements,” Mr. Modi said. Laos premier Thongloun Sisoulith complimented India’s Act East policy and its contribution to ASEAN and hoped the summit will provide future direction.</s>The Prime Minister has urged investors to be confident in his government’s commitment to supporting trade and business on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit.

Prime Minister Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha, in Vientiane of Lao PDR for the 28th and 29th ASEAN Leader Summits being hosted by the Laotian government, has met with his Lao counterpart Thonglun Sisoulith to congratulate him on his country’s work as chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. He affirmed to the Lao premier that Thailand is ready to support its neighbor in all areas both bilaterally and multilaterally. Gen Prayuth also used the opportunity of their meeting to invite PM Thonglun to the Asia Cooperation Dialogue taking place in Bangkok on October 9-10.

The Thai prime minister then jointed in witnessing the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Thailand and Lao PDR on joint energy development, which will see Thailand increase its purchase of power from Lao from 7,000 Megawatts to 9,000. He affirmed to PM Thonglun that he would support infrastructural developments such as more connecting bridges in the future.

After the ceremony, the premier joined his fellow ASEAN leaders in meeting with the ASEAN Business Advisory Council to exchange views on trade and investment in the region. At the discussion, Gen Prayuth assured Thailand is ready to support public-private connections and exchanges of electronic information. He played up the Kingdom’s focus on small and medium enterprises and start-ups and its Thailand 4.0 model. He affirmed to the council that Thailand is ready to facilitate trade and investment to help drive the region’s economy.</s>Prime Minister Narendra Modi today met US President Barack Obama and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and several other world leaders on the sidelines of two back-to-back international summits in the capital of Laos. After his visit to the US, it was Mr Modi’s first bilateral meeting with Mr Obama.

Both the leaders had also met informally during the G-20 summit at Hangzhou, the eastern city of China on September 4-5. During the 14th India-ASEAN Summit and the 11th East Asia Summit, Mr Modi also had bilateral talks with South Korean President Park Geun-Hye and Premier of host of the summits Thongloun Sisolith.

Myanmar’s foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi also called on him. This was also the first meeting between Mr Modi and Mr Obama after the countries inked a landmark agreement on sharing each other’s military logistics.
Laos prepares to host the 28th and 29th ASEAN Summit.