Anthem Gaffe Embarrasses Grenada

[Chicokid]

A diplomatic gaffe marred the inauguration of Grenada's China-financed stadium when the band performed Taiwan's national anthem.

According to the Associated Press, Chinese Ambassador Qian Hongshan and scores of blue-uniformed Chinese laborers who built the new US$40 million Queen's Park stadium as a gift from Beijing were "visibly uncomfortable" as Taiwan's anthem echoed inside the 20,000-seat venue.

Describing it as a blunder, Grenada Prime Minister Keith Mitchell pledged an investigation into how the Royal Grenada Police Band could have prepared the anthem of Taiwan instead of China, which has waged an aggressive campaign in the Caribbean to woo nations away from relationships with its rival.


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[nuhsenutten]

rahtid .....how they manage to do that ......stick situation right there .....guess all chiney ppl anthem sound alike

[ramesh]

Taiwan is also known as The Republic of China and China is known as The People's Republic of China, so perhaps the Grenadians could have made a mistake, but just a year after switching ties from ROC to China???? There's more to it than meets the eye!

A diplomatic gaffe marred the inauguration of a China-financed stadium on this Caribbean island when a band performed the national anthem of Chinese rival Taiwan.

Chinese Ambassador Qian Hongshan and scores of blue-uniformed Chinese laborers who built the $40 million Queen's Park stadium as a gift were visibly uncomfortable as Taiwan's anthem echoed inside the 20,000-seat venue over the weekend.

Describing it as a blunder, Grenada Prime Minister Keith Mitchell pledged an investigation into how the Royal Grenada Police Band could have prepared the anthem of Taiwan instead of China.

China and Taiwan split in 1949 amid a civil war.

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[root_gal]

Huge faux pas on Grenada's part. We just finished talking about how to handle the PR for the disaster in class. My suggestion - just say all chiney ppl look alike and how dem expect ppl fi differenciate between the two.

[Virus]

lol,

it no funny though.. but somebody ago lose them head

[Manu]

Merge......merge please.......thank you!

[BlackCryptoKnight]

Aye caramba.

[Chicokid]

Embarassing part is that this story made international news media like CNN, BBC and page twenty four of the London Metro Newspaper. Even the Windows Live Today in Windows Messenger highlighted that story "Grenada Fetes China with wrong anthem"

[CyberCat]

That police band deserve some blame, if they practiced both anthems before (they probably did, lnowing them), then as musicians some one of them should have been able to tell the difference.

[Chicokid]

ST. GEORGE'S, Grenada (AP) -- The leader of a Grenadian police band that performed Taiwan's national anthem at the inauguration of a China-financed stadium has been temporarily relieved of his music duties, an official said Tuesday.

Inspector Bryan Hurst will not lead the Royal Grenada Police Band while investigators determine how his ensemble came to play the anthem of Taiwan instead of its rival to open the $40 million Queen's Park stadium on Saturday, according to police spokesman Troy Garvey.

Garvey said the inquiry into the diplomatic gaffe will "utilize all the resources" of the Caribbean island's national force and that Police Commissioner Winston James was expected to formally apologize to Chinese Ambassador Qian Hongshan.


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