VOA慢速英语2010年-IN THE NEWS - Military Returns Order A

This is IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.

Thailand's prime minister is urging national unity¹ after ten weeks of anti-government protests in the capital. Abhisit Vejjajiva says the government has returned order in Bangkok and the provinces.

In a speech Friday he said he recognized the divisions that have taken place in the country. He promised that the government will meet what he called "the huge challenges ahead of us."

On Wednesday, the Thai army removed the protesters by force from their camp in the city center. The military operation left at least seven people dead. Days of violent clashes and rioting caused more than one billion dollars in damage.

An estimated five thousand protesters known as Red Shirts occupied a three square kilometer area of Bangkok's business district. Their leaders said they were a non-violent democracy movement representing poor and rural people.

Naruemon Chabchumpon is political science director at Chulalongkorn University. She says the Red Shirts damaged their public image by their actions. At first the leaders demanded new elections. The government proposed elections for November, and the Red Shirts accepted.

A woman sweeps in the wreckage² near Thai soldiers soon after anti-government protesters were crushed in Bangkok

But later they made other demands, like arrests of government officials. By the end, the professor says, the Red Shirts were continually changing their demands.

NARUEMON CHABCHUMPON: "So at that time I think the public in Bangkok feel that, or start to wonder, what is their real demand?"

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When the military finally moved against the protesters, there was armed resistance. Protesters shot at soldiers and set fire to buildings including big stores.

Red Shirts and human rights groups condemned³ the government's use of deadly force to end the protests.

Since the demonstrations⁴ began in March, at least eighty-three people were killed and one thousand eight hundred wounded. The protests have also hurt tourism, a major industry in Thailand.

The prime minister's term ends in January of two thousand twelve. Political scientist Naruemon Chabchumpon says to prevent more unrest, the government needs to hold new elections. She also thinks the government needs to direct more economic assistance to rural areas.

The protesters largely support Thaksin Shinawatra, the prime minister overthrown⁵ by the army in two thousand six. His policies made him popular with much of the rural and working poor. But much of the middle class and urban wealthy accused him of corruption⁶ and abuse of power.

Thailand’s political crisis is often described simply as a fight between the poor and the rich. Yet in the south, for example, support for the protesters is low even among the poor. And in the northeast, many middle-class people support the Red Shirts.

Thaksin Shinawatra went into exile in Cambodia to avoid a prison sentence for corruption. The government says he helped organize the protests, a charge he denies. He has called for an outside negotiator to settle the crisis, an idea the government rejects.

And that's IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English, written by Brianna Blake with additional reporting by Brian Padden in Bangkok. I’m Steve Ember.

　
 

1 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

2 wreckage   

n.（失事飞机等的）残骸，破坏，毁坏

参考例句：

• They hauled him clear of the wreckage.他们把他从形骸中拖出来。
• New states were born out of the wreckage of old colonial empires.新生国家从老殖民帝国的废墟中诞生。

3 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

4 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

5 overthrown   

adj. 打翻的，推倒的，倾覆的 动词overthrow的过去分词

参考例句：

• The president was overthrown in a military coup. 总统在军事政变中被赶下台。
• He has overthrown the basic standards of morality. 他已摒弃了基本的道德标准。

6 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。