Cameron Diaz issued an apology Sunday June 24th for wearing wearing a bag with a Maoist slogan that evoked painful memories in Peru.
- Jun 25, 2007
AceShowbiz - Cameron Diaz wasn't the right person in the right place when she was spotted sporting a bag with a political slogan while sightseeing Machu Picchu in Peru's Andes on Friday June 22nd, which unfortunately evokes the bloody memories associated with Chinese Communist leader Mao Zedong. And just now the actress issued a public apology concerning the incident.
Diaz, who was in Peru to participate in a Canadian television show "4 REAL" that celebrates Peru's culture, was seen wearing an olive green bag, emblazoned with a red star featuring Mao Zedong's most famous political slogan "Serve the People" printed in Chinese. This, to her unknown, provoked controversy among locals.
In a statement e-mailed to The Associated Press Sunday June 24th, Diaz wrote, "I sincerely apologize to anyone I may have inadvertently offended. The bag was a purchase I made as a tourist in China and I did not realize the potentially hurtful nature of the slogan printed on it."
Further the actress wrote, "I'm sorry for any people's pain and suffering and it was certainly never my intention to reopen what I now know is a painful wound in this country's history and wish for their continued healing."
"Serve the People", which is a very famous slogan in other countries, "evokes memories of the Maoist Shining Path insurgency that fought the government in the 1980s and early 1990s in a bloody conflict that left nearly 70,000 people dead."
