Papuan leader dismisses Biden 'cannibalism' remark

James Marape (far L) said he had met Mr Biden (second R) multiple times, and their relationship was strong

Papua New Guinea’s leader has dismissed US President Joe Biden’s suggestion that his uncle may have fallen prey to cannibals in the Pacific nation during World War Two.

Mr Biden said last week his relative had been shot down over the country, and his body never found as “there were a lot of cannibals”.

US media pointed out that his comments were not backed up by official records.

Papuan Prime Minister James Marape put it down to “loose” talk.

He said his American counterpart had had a “blurry moment” and insisted the US-Papuan relationship was strong, and characterised by “deeper values”.

Mr Marape said the pair had met several times, and “never in those moments (has) he spoke(n) of PNG as cannibals”.

While the nation does have some history of cannibalism in remote areas, it has tried for years to shed the trope, which it views as outdated.

The White House did not provide further comment about Mr Biden’s remarks, made in Scranton, Pennsylvania, last week.

But a spokesperson highlighted that the US leader was “proud of his uncle’s service in uniform”.

Official records show that Ambrose J Finnegan was indeed on board a plane which went down for reasons unknown in the Pacific on 14 May 1944.

It ditched in the ocean off the north coast of New Guinea, the record states, referring to the island which, in its eastern half, comprises part of Papua New Guinea.

Three men were lost in the wreckage and another was rescued. Finnegan’s remains have not been found and he is still described as unaccounted for.

Questions have been asked about whether at 81 Mr Biden should be running for re-election. He has denied having any issues with his memory or mental acuity.

In February he rejected suggestions – presented as part of an investigation into his handling of top-secret files – that he had struggled to recall key life events.

Mr Biden’s rival for president, Donald Trump, is four years his junior, and has faced accusations of his own that he lacks the sharpness to run for president again.

He caught headlines with his own rendition of a chapter of US military history last week, when he appeared vague on the facts of the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg in the American Civil War.