The Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea has hit back at President Joe Biden over his recent comment about "cannibals" on the island when speaking about his uncle's death in World War II.
Biden last week, during a visit to the United Steelworkers headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, commented on the death of his uncle, Ambrose Finnegan, who was a reconnaissance pilot during World War II.
Biden said his uncle "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."
Prime Minister James Marape said in a statement on Sunday that Biden "appeared to imply his uncle was eaten by cannibals."
He added, "President Biden's remarks may have been a slip of the tongue; however, my country does not deserve to be labeled as such."
Marape noted that "the remains of WWII lie scattered all over PNG," and called for the United States to "to find as many remains of World War II in PNG as possible, including those of servicemen who lost their lives like Ambrose Finnegan."
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.