An April Fools’ Day prank in Australia suggesting a Chinese firm wanted to buy naming rights for the famous Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) sparked a furious online reaction last week.
In a sign of sensitivities at Chinese takeover activity in Australia’s mining sector, the story on the Herald Sun’s Web site saying the stadium would be renamed the Mekong Cricket Ground drew more than 200 comments by midday.
While many realized it was a joke — with the story quoting a spokeswoman named April Fulton — most expressed anger at the idea of renaming the 100,000 capacity ground regarded as a symbol of Australia’s second largest city.
PHOTO: AP
“Let’s just give up this whole country to the Asians and be done with it,” posted “Mister Master.”
“What did our diggers (soldiers) fight and die for in the past wars???? And they still expect us to be patriotic. This country is selling its soul.”
Anthony of Melbourne expressed sentiments on the same lines.
“Are we serious ... do we have to sell everything to the Asians!!! They are taking over the world, and we are letting them. I am not being racist when I say this, but aside from the Australian Asians, what possible interest do China have in the MCG?”
In other April Fools’ Day pranks, Victoria state Tourism Minister Tim Holding said Melbourne was bidding to steal the running of the bulls away from Pamplona when the contract the Spanish city has held since the 13th century expires.(AFP)
上週，澳洲一則愚人節新聞指出，一家中國公司欲買下墨爾本板球場（MCG）的冠名權，結果在網路上引發網友強烈反彈。
《前鋒太陽報》趁著中國欲併購澳洲礦區開採權的敏感時機，在網站上刊登了墨爾本板球場將更名為湄公板球場的新聞，結果不到中午，就吸引了兩百多人上網評論。
雖然�?H都知道這只是個玩笑（報導中引述了名叫艾波．芙頓的女發言人的話，音似四月愚人的英文），但大多數人還是對這個想法表達不滿，因為這個能容納十萬人的球場被視為是澳洲第二大城的象徵。
一名署名「大師先生」的網友寫道：「我們乾脆把整個國家讓給亞洲人算了。」
「我們的軍人過去在戰場上是為何而戰、為何犧牲？？？而他們還期望我們要有愛國情操，這個國家根本就是在出賣靈魂！」
墨爾本的安東尼也表達了類似的意見。
「我們是認真的嗎…我們真的要把所有東西都賣給亞洲人嗎！！！他們要接管全世界，而我們就這樣放任他們。我這樣說不是有種族歧視，不過除了亞裔澳洲人之外，中國對MCG會有什麼興趣？」
其他的愚人節玩笑還有：維多利亞省旅遊局局長提姆．荷丁說，墨爾本打算等潘普隆納的合約期滿後，從這個自十三世紀起就舉辦奔牛節的西班牙小城手中，奪走奔牛節舉辦權。（法新社╱翻譯：袁星塵）
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