China commemorates journalists killed in premiermurder plot 50 years ago

Fifty years ago, a chartered Air-Inida plane called the Kashimir Princess heading for Bandung Indonesia exploded over the Pacific Ocean, killing all 11 passengers.

Among them were Xinhua journalists, Shen Jiantu, Huang Zuomei and Li Ping.

Tian Congming, president of Xinhua News Agency, commemorated the three at a symposium Monday on the anniversary of the explosion, calling them "excellent journalists."

Declassified documents show that the explosion was caused by a time-bomb planted on the plane by the Taiwan secret service, in an apparent attempt to assassinate Premier Zhou Enlai. However, Zhou, who had planned to take the plane to attend the Bandung Conference in Indonesia, was forced to change his schedule due to an emergency appendicitis operation and had a narrow escape.

Eleven passengers, including three staff members of the Chinese delegation to the Bandung Conference and five Chinese journalists, one staff member of the delegation of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, one journalist from Poland and one journalist from Austria, died as the explosion caused the plane to crash.

Shen, who died at 40 as director of Xinhua's department of domestic news for overseas services, was a renowned journalist in China for his reports on the armistice negotiation at the end of the Korean War. He left behind a three-year-old son.

"My memory of my father is very vague. What I know about him is all from his colleagues, reports and records," Shen Yimin, Shen Jiantu's son, told Xinhua. Shen Yimin is a senior administrator at the Beijing Language and Culture University.

"I admired my father. Throughout the years, I've collected things connected with him," Shen Yimin said. "I felt, in some way, my father has always been with me and guiding my way."

For those who survived the disaster, their memories of the dead never stopped.

"I was shocked when hearing the news and felt heartbroken,"

the77-year-old Qian Sijie told Xinhua. A photographer, Qian was supposed to take the plane to Bundung with Shen, Huang and Li.

"While we were in Hong Kong buying equipment and supplies, I was told to leave early for Indonesia by boat," Qian said. "That change kept me alive."

Qian said the explosion put the Chinese delegation and reporters in great sorrow. "We tried our best to get over our sadness and concentrate on work. We also had to maintain high vigilance on security."

Over the past 50 years, Qian has kept his press card for the conference. "Whenever I open it, it brings me back to those special days. It carries a period of history and the memory of my three colleagues," he said.

In the 74 years since the founding of Xinhua, more than 150 journalists and staff members have sacrificed their lives while performing their duties.

"I hope people won't forget that period of history and those who sacrificed their lives for the country," Qian said.

Source: Xinhua