Скачать или смотреть ISRAEL: FENG-SHAN HO HONOURED

(23 Jan 2001) Mandarin/Eng/Nat

The Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem has honoured the late Feng-shan Ho, who was a Chinese Consul-General in Vienna from 1938 to 1940.

Ho was given the title of 'Righteous Among the Nations' for his humanitarian courage in issuing Chinese visas to Jews during World War Two.

He ignored his government's orders and rescued thousands of Jews who were fleeing from the Holocaust.

Ho's family requested that Taiwanese officials be banned from attending the event in Jerusalem on Tuesday because the Taiwanese government has accused Feng-Shan of embezzlement.

The family say the allegation is false.

From 1937 to 1940, Ho was the Consul-General for the Nationalist government, which ruled China before losing the civil war to the Communist Party and retreating to Taiwan in 1949.

He was reprimanded for disobeying orders and issuing visas to Jews.

The title of 'Righteous Among the Nations' is given to non-Jews who risked their life, safety or personal freedom to save Jews during World War Two.

As reflected in testimonies and documents received by Yad Vashem, Ho issued hundreds, possibly thousands, of visas to Jews anxious to leave Austria, which was then part of Nazi Germany.

He retired from the diplomatic service of his country in 1973 and died in San Francisco in 1997 at the age of 96.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"I don't think he thought that what he did was anything extraordinary. He thought it was something that a human being should do, so he didn't think it was something that warranted any particular praise."
SUPER CAPTION: Ho Manli, Daughter of Feng-shan Ho

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"My father was a Chinese diplomat, and at that time in 1938 there were no two China's. There was only one China, and I look at it as a deed of a Chinese diplomat which is being honoured, and that is the end of my comments concerning this controversy."
SUPER CAPTION: Ho Mon-to, Son of Feng-shan Ho

SOUNDBITE: (Mandarin, with English translation)
"He was Chinese, and as is known to all, there is only one China in the world. So we have already a Chinese representative, that is the Chinese ambassador here. So this ceremony is a very full and integrated ceremony."
SUPER CAPTION: HE Pan Zhanlin, Chinese Ambassador to Israel

Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter:   / ap_archive  
Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​
Instagram:   / apnews  


You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...