环球英语 — 146：2976 Melanesian Martyrs, Part 1

　　Voice 1
Hello, I’m Rachel Hobson.
Voice 2
And I’m Ruby¹ Jones. Welcome to Spotlight². This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 4
“Everybody is talking about our situation. Today a village man came up to one of the Brothers... He asked him when we will stop praying for our six missing friends... We believe the authorities are keeping bad news from us. No one wants to be the messenger... But we need to know now. It’s been so long. And things do not look good.”
Voice 1
These are words of Richard Carter, a British priest³. He wrote them in 2003. At that time he was experiencing a very difficult situation. He had moved to the Solomon Islands many years before. This small group of beautiful islands is in the South Pacific Ocean. Many people call them “The Happy Islands”. This is because of their clear blue seas, rich green vegetation⁴ and constant sunshine.
Voice 2
Outsiders could not imagine how people on the Solomon Islands could ever argue. There are two main islands - Guadalcanal and Malaita. Two different ethnic⁵ groups live on these islands. For many years, the two groups enjoyed good relations. But by the end of the nineteen nineties, the situation was changing for the worse. Trouble between the two main islands began to build up. This was mostly because of the difficult employment situation in the area. This situation began in the years after the Second World War. Many people on the smaller island of Malaita could not find work. So, they travelled to the larger island of Guadalcanal in search of jobs.
Voice 1
At first, the Guadalcanal community welcomed them. The two ethnic groups lived side by side in peace. But the job situation on Guadalcanal was getting more and more difficult. There were few jobs. So the native people of Guadalcanal became angry with the Malaita workers. Bad feelings between the two communities grew. Over time this turned into social unrest between the two groups. In the year 2000, the conflict became more serious. There were militant⁶ groups on both sides. These groups started to fight each other. The Solomon Islands had no official army. And no-one trusted the police force. So these soldiers did what they wanted. It was a very difficult situation for the people of both islands.
Voice 2
But some religious groups refused to accept this situation. Instead, they wanted to help improve it. One of these organizations was the Melanesian Brotherhood⁷. The English priest, Richard Carter, was working with the Melanesian brothers. This religious community was made up of local Christian⁸ men. These men were mostly from the Solomon Islands. They had all made a promise to God about how they lived their lives. This involved serving their local community. To do this well, they chose to live simply. They had few possessions. They stayed unmarried. They learnt new skills. They shared the love of God willingly with everyone who listened to them. And this included all of the islanders. Ethnic origin did not matter to the brothers. And their selfless behaviour became especially important during the period of conflict.
Voice 1
The brothers acted as peace-makers between the two sides. They helped injured people get to hospital. Their community house became a centre for homeless people and those in danger. They also searched for missing persons. They helped families to look for the bodies of their dead relatives. Their acts of love and kindness affected⁹ many lives.
Voice 2
The conflict was also affecting the Solomon Islands’ economy. Governments of other countries withdrew their support. So, in October 2000, both sides agreed to sign a peace treaty. This took place in Townsville, Australia. This treaty included surrendering and destroying weapons. As time passed, most groups kept to the terms of the treaty. However, one militant group rebelled. This group was the Isatabu Freedom Movement. It was led by a man called Harold Keke. He continued to terrorise local people in his area. His behaviour threatened the whole peace process.
Voice 1
The Melanesian Brothers were involved in taking weapons from the militants¹⁰ and destroying them. The local people trusted them. So, one of the brothers offered to talk to Harold Keke. Brother Nathaniel Sado was from Malaita. He travelled to Harold Keke’s camp to start peace talks. Harold Keke knew Nathaniel and the Melanesian Brothers. Nathaniel believed that Keke would listen to the offers of peace. But Keke did not trust anyone. He believed that everyone was trying to kill him. So he took Nathaniel hostage¹¹. He tortured him for some time. Then, he killed him.
Voice 2
The brothers did not know what had happened. The weeks passed and still Nathaniel did not return. Richard Carter and the other brothers were very worried. So, six of them decided¹² to visit Harold Keke’s camp to discover what had happened. The other brothers remained at the community house. They waited for the six to return. But months passed. And no one came back.
Voice 1
During that time the other brothers prayed night and day. They encouraged one another to keep hoping for a good result. The local community also shared their concern. These events worried them. The Melanesian Brothers were such good men - what did they do to deserve this? The long, hard wait continued. This is what Richard Carter wrote at the time:
Voice 3
“All the time we pray. The rain continues to fall. And in our hearts and minds we have the fear that our Brothers may be suffering.”
Voice 2
Then, on the eighth of August 2003, news reached the Brotherhood. An Australian peace-keeping force had met with Harold Keke. They persuaded him to surrender. Keke told the authorities what had happened to the six brothers. The rebels shot two of them immediately - Robin¹³ Lindsay and Francis Tofi. They shot the youngest brother, Alfred Hill, in the arm. Then they beat him to death. Finally, they took the last three brothers, Patteson Gatu, Tony Sirihi and Ini Paratabatu. They forced them to say that they were spies. They made the brothers stand in front of a large hole in the ground. Then, they shot them and buried them.
Voice 1
This news shocked the Brotherhood and all the Christians¹⁴ on the Solomon Islands. Richard Carter wrote:
Voice 3
“Their sacrifice seems too great and hard to believe…and yet there is a peace too - [these men] knew that there was a better way. They went ... because of their faith - faith that says we have nothing to fear, even in death.”
 

1 ruby   

n.红宝石，红宝石色

参考例句：

• She is wearing a small ruby earring.她戴着一枚红宝石小耳环。
• On the handle of his sword sat the biggest ruby in the world.他的剑柄上镶有一颗世上最大的红宝石。

2 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

3 priest   

n.神父，牧师，司铎，司祭，领导者，神甫；vt.使成为神职人员

参考例句：

• He confessed to a priest that he had sinned.他向神父忏悔他犯了罪。
• The priest visited all the old people in the parish.牧师探望了教区里的所有老人。

4 vegetation   

n.植物，草木，（植物）生长

参考例句：

• As we drove towards the desert,the vegetation became sparse.我们驱车前往沙漠，沿途的草木渐渐变得稀疏。
• The earth bore a thick green mantle of vegetation.大地覆盖着一层厚厚的绿色植物。

5 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

6 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

7 brotherhood   

n.兄弟般的关系，手中情谊

参考例句：

• They broke up the brotherhood.他们断绝了兄弟关系。
• They live and work together in complete equality and brotherhood.他们完全平等和兄弟般地在一起生活和工作。

8 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

9 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

10 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

11 hostage   

n.人质，抵押品

参考例句：

• One group claimed to have executed the American hostage.一个组织声称已经处决了那名美国人质。
• Have you read the article about the rescue of the hostage?你看了关于营救人质的文章了吗？

12 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

13 robin   

n.知更鸟，红襟鸟

参考例句：

• The robin is the messenger of spring.知更鸟是报春的使者。
• We knew spring was coming as we had seen a robin.我们看见了一只知更鸟，知道春天要到了。

14 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。