泰国国王的健康状况令人担忧（在线收听）

AS IT IS 2015-09-23 Concern Grows Over Thai King's Health 泰国国王的健康状况令人担忧

The health of King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand remains in question.

The 87-year-old has been the king of Thailand since 1946.

泰国国王普密蓬·阿杜德 (Bhumibol Adulyadej) 健康状况仍然不太乐观。

Last week, the king’s youngest daughter made a public request for prayers from the Thai people for her ailing father. He has spent much of the past several years in a hospital in Bangkok.

现年87岁的泰国国王于1946年登基。上周，国王的小女儿在公开场所请求泰国人民为生病的父亲祈祷。过去几年里，国王一直在曼谷的一家医院休养。

The king, also known as Rama IX, briefly appeared in public earlier this month. Since then, he has reportedly had blood infections, fever and lung problems. Thai officials say he has improved, but many in the country remain concerned.

国王，也称拉玛九世，本月初曾在公开场合简短露面。自此，他就被报道出现血液感染、发热以及肺部不适等问题。泰国官员声明，国王的病情已好转，但人们仍然很担心。

Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn is in line to be the next king. But he is not as loved or respected in the country as his parents. In August, he led a 43-kilometer mass bicycle ride in tribute to his ill mother, Queen Sirikit. The event had more than 145,000 cyclists and 9,000 police officers. Some believe the bicycle ride demonstrates to a nation under army rule that the military backs the crown prince to succeed his father.

王太子玛哈·哇集拉隆功(Maha Vajiralongkorn) 将成为下一任国王。但是在泰国，他不像父母那样受人们爱戴与尊敬。他曾举行了一场43千米的大众自行车比赛，以此向生病的母亲诗丽吉王后表示致敬。据悉，此次活动有145,000多名骑车者及9000名警察参加。一些人认为此次的自行车比赛了揭示出在这个由军队统治的国家，军队是支持王储接替国王之位的。

But the prince remains distant from the public. And his private life has been a source of concern.

但王储仍然不得民心。除此之外，他的私生活也是人们议论的焦点。

His sister Princess Sirindhorn, however, is more widely respected. She is broadly admired for her charity work and her efforts in education. Some say that the princess could become a successor. But she has not been formally chosen as an heir to the throne.

相反，他的妹妹诗琳通公主却广受人们爱戴。她因参与慈善事业与教育工作而倍受人们尊敬。一些泰国民众期望诗琳通公主(Princess Sirindhorn) 继承王位。但她还没有被正式地立为王位继承人。

Openly speaking about the royal succession is taboo, something not to be discussed. Making comments critical of or threatening to senior members of the royal family is also taboo. Doing so can result in long prison sentences under Thailand's harsh laws.

公开谈论王室的继承问题是大忌，有些事情是不能拿来讨论的。公开议论或威胁上层的王室成员也是禁忌。否则可能会因泰国森严的刑法而遭到长期监禁。

Bhumibol is the only king most Thais have ever known. His death will send Thailand into deep mourning.

普密蓬国王是唯一一位为大多数泰国人所熟知的国王。他的离世将会使全国上下陷入悲痛之中。

Tyrell Haberkorn is an expert on Thailand. She says the respect and admiration many Thais have for King Bhumibol “is specific to him as an individual, not the institution."

泰瑞尔哈勃孔是泰国的一名政治评论家。她表示泰国人对普密蓬国王的尊重和爱戴之情，纯粹是出于对国王这个特定的个体，而并非某个机构。

"Rama X will not be able to automatically slip into the same position held by Rama IX, even if he wears the same crown," she said. "The wildcard here is not who is going to ascend to the throne, but what citizens will do in that moment.”

她声称：“即使拉玛十世戴上王冠，他也不能理所应当地继承拉玛九世的国王之位。”“现在的问题不是谁将继承王位，而是国王登基的那一刻人们将会怎么做。”

Words in this Story

successor – n. a person who has a job, position, or title after someone else

heir – n. a person who has the legal right to receive the property of someone who dies

throne – n. the position of king or queen