07-03-2009 To 20:52 Mourad A.
The room of conferences of the newspaper Ech- Chaâb sheltered, yesterday, a vibrating homage to the memory of the Algerian journalists, tragically deceased in an air crash in Vietnam, March 8, 1978.
The room of conferences of the newspaper Ech- Chaâb sheltered, yesterday, a vibrating homage to the memory of the Algerian journalists, tragically deceased in an air crash in Vietnam, March 8, 1978.
Organized by the dynamic association Machaâl Echahid, in collaboration with the national daily newspaper Ech Chaâb, the event was chaired by Mr. Azzeddine Mihoubi, Secretary of State near the Prime Minister, responsible for the Communication, in the presence of several historical and cultural national personalities, of the representatives of national media, academics and the parents of deceased journalists.
On this occasion, Mr. Mihoubi made a short speech in which he recalled the painful memory of the Algerian journalists and technicians, victims of a plane crash in Vietnam, March 8, 1978, while they came to cover the visit of late President Houari Boumediène in this friendly country. The minister did not fail to stress that these 15 victims of the accident died for the nation, therefore, they are Chouhada of duty which the grateful nation should not forget, in particular by baptizing an infrastructure or a historic site, and even to create a price of journalism on their behalf.
Succeeding him, Mr. Abderrazak Bouhara, moudjahid, minister, member of the Council of the nation, made a poignant testimony on this terrible accident which carried forever 15 of the best representatives of the national media of the time like Salah Dib, one of the famous presenters of the newspaper of information or Abderrahmane Kahouadji, a brilliance program director. In this context, the speaker who occupied the post of ambassador of Algeria to Vietnam at the time recalled the great sadness and the consternation which fell down on the members of the Algerian official delegation, led by the late President Boumediène, before evoking the circumstances of this crash which occurred in a rice plantation, to a few hundred meters of the landing strip of the military airport of Hanoï and the enormous difficulties met by the first-aid members to identify the bodies of the deceased persons. Mr. Bouhara was then to speak about the flight plan of the presidential plane which brought back the remainders of the deceased persons, by underlining the problems and constraints related to the authorizations of the passage of Burma, country with which Algeria did not have diplomatic relations and of China which was in conflict with the USSR, at the time, before saying all its admiration with respect to the extraordinary reception reserved to the plane of the Algerian journalists at Lahore (Pakistan), then at Koweït, before its arrival to Cairo then to Algiers.
As for Mr. Mahmoud Boussoussa, our former fellow-member, he initially made a point of pointing out the names of the 15 deceased persons, by adding that 3 journalists (2 photographers and a TV technician), which had taken seat aboard plane of President Boumediène, had their life saved. After which, our friend Mahmoud bore witness on the late presenter of the newspaper of information of radio operator Salah Dib, by underlining particularly his enormous desire for visiting Vietnam and its revolutionary people.
As for the prestigious journalist Harrat Bendjeddou, he recalled the professional relations which he had with late Salah Dib, a young very voluntary journalist that he regarded as his son, he declared in particular, by recalling that he learned the news of the death of his colleagues, at the United Arab Emirates, where he was in news coverage.
At the end of this meeting, the association Machaâl Echahid organized a ceremony of handing-over of gifts and symbolic distinctions to the parents of the deceased journalists.
Mourad A.
