'My Nation Undeserving of Such Label': PM Marape After Biden's 'Cannibals in New Guinea' Comment

Sydney: United States President Joe Biden’s recent comment over his uncle’s disappearance near New Guinea during World War II, claiming his body could not be recovered “because there used to be a lot of cannibals – for real – in that part of the New Guinea,” has drawn sharp criticism from Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape.

Reacting to Biden’s remark, PM Marape said his country does not deserve to be labelled as cannibals, new agency Reuters reported.

Following Biden’s comments over his missing serviceman uncle, Marape also suggested the US to clear up the remnants of World War II littered across the Pacific.

Biden had “appeared to imply his uncle was eaten by cannibals after his plane was shot down over PNG during WWII”, Marape’s office said in a statement late on Sunday.

“President Biden’s remarks may have been a slip of the tongue; however, my country does not deserve to be labelled as such,” Marape said in the statement.

“I urge President Biden to get the White House to look into cleaning up these remains of WWII so the truth about missing servicemen like Ambrose Finnegan can be put to rest,” the statement further read.

Amid competition with China for establishing dominance in the region, the US had signed a defence cooperation deal with Papua New Guinea last year as China has a security pact with neighbouring Solomon Islands.

While addressing the United Steelworkers Headquarters in Pittsburgh, Biden had on Wednesday said that his uncle Ambrose Finnegan was shot down and his body could never be recovered and hinted cannibals for this. 

“And my uncle, they called him – Ambrose, they called him Bosie… and he became an Army Air Corps, before the Air Force came along, he flew those single engine planes as reconnaissance over war zones,” Biden had said while addressing the United Steelworkers Headquarters in Pittsburgh.

“And he got shot down in New Guinea, and they never found the body because there used to be a lot of cannibals – for real – in that part of the New Guinea,” he had added.