Current location:travel >>
Biden’s cannibal remarks send US
travel236People have gathered around
IntroductionPapua New Guinea Foreign Minister Justin Tkachenko said Tuesday that relations with the U.S. have hi ...
Papua New Guinea Foreign Minister Justin Tkachenko said Tuesday that relations with the U.S. have hit a “low point” after President Joe Biden claimed his uncle was eaten in the Pacific nation by cannibals during World War II.
Headlines about Biden’s gaffe at a Pennsylvania war memorial last week went viral in Papua New Guinea and were widely mocked on social media.
Prime Minister James Marape in a statement Sunday said the president’s comments may have been a “slip of the tongue, however my country does not deserve to be labeled as such.”
His foreign minister on Tuesday went a step further – calling for the record to be set straight.
“These apparent untrue remarks by the sitting president [are] a low point in our relations,” Tkatchenko said in a statement, adding the comments were not supported by official documents.
Tkatchenko said records showed that Biden’s uncle was on a flight from Momote to Lae, over the Bismarck Sea, but never made it to his destination.
“PNG hopes that the White House can correct this remark which has the potential to hurt our cordial relations,” he said.
Biden twice last week suggested without evidence his uncle, Ambrose Finnegan, was eaten by cannibals after being shot down during a reconnaissance flight in a single-engine U.S. Air Force plane over Papua New Guinea.
“He got shot down in New Guinea, and they never found the body because there used to be — there were a lot of cannibals, for real, in that part of New Guinea,” Biden said on April 17.
U.S. defense records contradict Biden’s story and state Finnegan was a passenger in a plane that crashed into the Pacific Ocean off the north coast of Papua New Guinea.
The diplomatic incident began to unfold as Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Papua New Guinea at the weekend and signed several agreements between the two countries, including a feasibility study for a free-trade deal.
China and the U.S. are currently engaged in a regional battle for influence and Papua New Guinea, the most populous Pacific island country, is one of their main theaters.
The U.S. embassy in Port Moresby issued a press release Tuesday without directly addressing the “cannibal” remarks.
“President Biden highlighted his uncle’s story as he made the case for honoring our sacred commitment to equip those we send to war,” the embassy said.
“The U.S. respects the people and culture of Papua New Guinea and remains committed to furthering respectful relations.”
Cannibalism in Papua New Guinea was rare by the 1960s after being banned by Australia – the colonial power – the previous decade. It was largely a ritualistic practice.
The Pacific island country was invaded by Japan in 1942 and some of its soldiers committed acts of cannibalism on prisoners of war after their supply lines were cut off, according to Japanese army documents seized by Australian troops and analyzed by academics.
The Tokyo War Crimes trials, which took place between May 1946 to November 1948, found there was not enough evidence to charge any Japanese for cannibalism but Australian military trials in New Guinea after the war convicted soldiers for the crime and issued death penalties.
This week Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is in Papua New Guinea and will walk with Marape along sections of the Kokoda Track, an infamous battlefield where more than 10,000 U.S., Australian and Japanese soldiers died, as well as an unknown number of Papuans.
At a state dinner in Port Moresby Monday, Albanese said his counterpart had assured him Australia remains Papua New Guinea’s security partner of choice
“This is a relationship that has never been closer, as symbolized by the fact that we’ll be walking side-by-side down the Kokoda Track,” Albanese said.
“We want the Pacific family to look after security in this region.”
The highly symbolic visit to the mythologized campaign site by Albanese comes ahead of Anzac Day commemorations on Thursday, which remember Australians and New Zealanders that served and died during wars.
Stefan Armbruster contributed to this report from Brisbane.
BenarNews is an RFA-affiliated online news organization.
Tags:
Reprint:Friends are welcome to share on the Internet, but please indicate the source of the article when reprinting it.“Global Glance news portal”。http://benin.lochsaege.com/article-7d899115.html
Related articles
What to stream: Lenny Kravitz, South Park, 'Dune: Part 2'
travel“Dune: Part 2,” Jennifer Lopez in the sci-fi action pic “Atlas” and a “South Park” episode skewering ...
【travel】
Read moreUS House votes to remove wolves from endangered list in 48 states
travelThe U.S. House voted Tuesday to end federal protection for gray wolves, approving a bill that would ...
【travel】
Read moreBrewers call up hot
travelMILWAUKEE (AP) — The Milwaukee Brewers called up infielder Tyler Black on Tuesday, adding the hot-hi ...
【travel】
Read more
Popular articles
- Testimony at Sen. Bob Menendez's bribery trial focuses on his wife's New Jersey home
- New York Knicks reserve Bojan Bogdanovic will have foot surgery and miss the rest of the playoffs
- Oilers can knock Kings out of playoffs again. Stars
- St. John's Chris Ledlum and Jordan Dingle suing NCAA for denying them 2024
- Spain withdraws its ambassador to Argentina over comments made by President Milei
- Minor league infielder Keiner Delgado traded from Yankees to Pittsburgh Pirates
Latest articles
A Canadian serial killer who brought victims to a pig farm is hospitalized after a prison assault
North Carolina bill compelling sheriffs to aid ICE advances as first major bill this year
North Carolina bill compelling sheriffs to aid ICE advances as first major bill this year
Cardinals rally to beat Tigers 2
US Open champ Coco Gauff urges young Americans to vote
US House votes to remove wolves from endangered list in 48 states
LINKS
- Biden hosts Romanian leader at the White House to celebrate NATO partnership
- Andy Ibáñez homers twice, Ryan Vilade gets first MLB hit, RBIs as Tigers outslug Guardians 11
- Tourism festival spurs consumption in Shanghai
- Hong Kong, mainland self
- World champions aim to refresh records in Xiamen
- Investing in China is a superior option for multinationals
- Shanghai Shenhua soars as Changchun Yatai struggles in Chinese Super League
- China to further integrate culture, tourism
- Alves granted €1m bail after sexual assault conviction
- Republicans preparing contempt charges against Attorney General Garland over Biden audio