Papua New Guinea’s prime minister has accused Joe Biden of insulting his country after the US president suggested his uncle was eaten by cannibals on the island in the 1940s.
Mr Biden made comments about his uncle Ambrose J Finnegan visiting a Pennsylvania war memorial last week.
Mr. Finnegan, who had served in the Army Air Corps during World War II, was involved in a plane crash in Papua New Guinea in 1944.
“They never found the body because there used to be – there were really a lot of cannibals in that part of New Guinea,” Mr Biden said, referring to the country’s main island. .
Prime Minister James Marape said in a statement on Sunday that Mr Biden “appeared to imply that his uncle had been eaten by cannibals”.
“That of President Biden the remarks may have been a slip of the tongue; however, my country does not deserve to be labeled as such,” Mr Marape said.
“World War II was not the work of my people; however, they were needlessly drawn into a conflict that was not their fault,” he added.
The prime minister also called on the United States to locate its war dead in the country and clean up the rubble of war.
“Remnants of World War II are scattered throughout Papua New Guinea, including the plane that carried President Biden’s uncle,” Mr Marape added.
“Perhaps, given President Biden’s comments and the strong reaction from Papua New Guinea and other parts of the world, it is time for the United States to recover as many World War II remains as possible in Papua New Guinea, including those of military personnel who lost their lives like Ambrose Finnegan.
“The theaters of war in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands are numerous and littered with remnants of the Second World War, including human remains, plane wrecks, shipwrecks, tunnels and bombs.
“Our people live daily in fear of being killed by the bombs of World War II.”
There appears to be no record of Mr Finnegan’s death being the result of hostile action or any indication that cannibals played a role in the failure to recover his remains, according to the US Department of Defense .
Military records show he was killed when the reconnaissance plane he was in crashed into the Pacific Ocean off the northern coast of New Guinea in May 1944 after engine failure.
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The break comes as Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese began a visit to Papua New Guinea, Australia’s closest neighbor, on Monday.
“I am convinced that Papua New Guinea has no stronger partner than Australia and that our defense and security ties have never been stronger,” Mr Albanese told reporters before leaving Australia.
The United States has not yet commented on Mr. Marape’s statement.