Cameron Diaz issued an apology yesterday for a political fashion faux pas. The Shrek star toured Peru's Machu Picchu last week wearing a green bag with a red star and the words "Serve the People" in Chinese. The phrase was a slogan of Chinese communist leader Mao Zedong, and sparked controversy in Peru - where citizens are recovering from the Maoist Shining Path insurgency in the '80s and '90s that killed nearly 70,000. "It alludes to a concept that did so much damage to Peru, that brought about so many victims," a Peruvian human rights rep told the Associated Press. "I don't think she should have used that bag where the followers of that ideology did so much damage." Diaz issued a statement yesterday apologizing: "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... 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." The actress was in Peru as part of a Canadian TV show called 4 REAL, which celebrates youth leaders around the world.
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