President Bush to Give Speech in Fountain Valley : Cultures: He will appear Sunday at Mile Square Park to recognize Asian-Americans.

White House officials confirmed Monday that President Bush will give a speech in Fountain Valley on Sunday recognizing the cultures of at least 17 Asian-American communities existing in America and represented in Orange County.

“This is a historic event in the sense that it is the first time that the President has come out to specifically visit the Asian community,� said Sichan Siv, a deputy assistant to the President in Washington. “I feel great about this.�

Siv, who escaped his war-torn homeland of Cambodia in 1976 by fleeing from a Khmer Rouge prison camp and hiking to Thailand, added: “I think it’s very important for the Asian-American community to be recognized. . . . In a sense, it’s a celebration of the uniqueness of America.�

Local organizers of the Asian/Pacific American Salute to the President said they expect at least 40,000 people to fill Fountain Valley’s Mile Square Park for most of the day Sunday, even though the President’s actual noon-hour visit is expected to be brief.

Ky Ngo, a Vietnamese representative on the organizing committee, said the President is expected to pose for pictures with as many as 50 people during his visit, including about 25 community leaders who donated more than $2,500 for the privately funded event.

In addition, Bush will be escorted through a series of display booths highlighting the cultures of various Asian countries. Ngo said the booths will include native food, native dress and photographs of the countryside.

Bush’s visit is in reply to an invitation extended to him by Orange County’s Asian community during his presidential campaign in 1988. Bush was unable to attend at that time; his wife, Barbara, visited instead.

Last year, Vice President Dan Quayle attended a rally in Westminster to open an Asian-American Republican headquarters. Ngo stressed that Sunday’s visit is not a political rally but a recognition of the Asian community by the President.

In the past, Siv said, presidents have designated one week each year as a celebration of Asian heritage. Last year, Bush extended the observance by designating May as Asian-American and Pacific Islander heritage month.

There are at least 17 Asian and Pacific Rim groups represented on the committee organizing Sunday’s visit. The committee includes representatives from Vietnam, China, India, Korea, Japan, Cambodia, the Philippines, Laos, Thailand, Samoa, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

The event is open to the public but requires a free ticket from the organizing headquarters in Fountain Valley. The gates to the park are scheduled to open at 9:30 a.m.

White House officials said the President is expected to arrive in Southern California on Friday. He is scheduled to spend the entire weekend in Los Angeles except for the brief visit to Orange County.

Times staff writer Eric Bailey contributed to this report.