Obama Praises Suu Kyi, Myanmar Reforms

Heads to Cambodia to argue for better human rights recognition

Barack Obama became the first sitting U.S. president to visit Myanmar on Monday, praising the courage of fellow Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi while also providing a symbolic nod to initial reforms in a nation once notorious for political repression.

Later Monday, Obama held what an aide called a "tense"meeting with Cambodia's prime minister that emphasized the need for improving human rights in the nation hosting a summit of regional leaders.

The president's trip, his first since winning re-election, overshadowed the focus his administration will place on Asia in a second term as part of a strategy to blunt Chinese influence in the region.