VOA慢速英语--一场被粉碎的学生运动,在缅甸大选前希望渺茫

This will be the second general election since the end of military rule in 2015.

Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) is expected to win again on the strength of its leader's strong popularity. Hnin, however, says the Nobel Peace Prize winner failed to keep her promise to unite the country, also known as Burma.

"I have no more trust in her," said the young woman. She added "the path she is trying to take towards democracy is impossible."

Aung San Suu Kyi's party won by a very large victory in 2015. Myanmar in 2020, however, is facing problems that she does not seem able to solve. In addition to the coronavirus health crisis, there is rising economic hardship and growing ethnic¹ and civil conflicts.

Hnin is one of many activists² from a student group responsible for anti-government protests and leaflet campaigns across the country in recent months.

The All Burma Federation³ of Students Union is calling for a boycott⁴ of the general election.

Its campaign has been met with a sharp crackdown. Nine of the group's members have been sentenced to prison, two of them to five years. They were jailed for "public mischief⁵," among other charges. Ten other members are in police detention⁶ and at least 12 more are in hiding.

Representatives of the NLD and the government did not answer requests for comment from Reuters news agency.

Aung San Suu Kyi's defenders⁷ say the students are not being realistic. Change cannot happen quickly after 50 years of military rule, they say.

‘Better future'

The All Burma Federation of Students Union began a "no more war" campaign in March. The students put up signs and gave out leaflets condemning⁸ the war in Rakhine state.

Rakhine borders Bangladesh. In 2017, Myanmar's military began attacking villages in Rahkhine, killing⁹ and raping¹⁰ ethnic Rohingyas who lived there and burning their homes. More than 730,000 Rohingyas were forced to flee to Bangladesh. The United Nations condemned¹¹ Myanmar's military action as genocidal.

Myanmar denies the accusation¹². It says it acted rightfully to end a rebellion.

Now in Rakhine there is another conflict between government troops and the Arakan Army. The Arakan Army is an ethnic armed group fighting for greater self-rule for Rakhine State.

The army has denied targeting civilians¹³ in the latest conflict. Many people have been killed and tens of thousands displaced in the fighting. The Myanmar government says the Ararkan Army is a terrorist organization.

In cities and towns across the country, the students have given out leaflets that say "dictatorships must fail." They also urge the government to lift restrictions¹⁴ on the internet in Rakhine.

Hnin said she sympathized with victims of the war because she grew up in an area also affected¹⁵ by conflict.

The government did nothing to stop the conflict and was a "puppet" of the army, she said. She blames the 2008 constitution, written by the military, that gives the army major powers.

‘Deep freeze'

Maya Tudor teaches at the Blavnik School of Government at Oxford¹⁶ University in Britain. She studies countries moving toward democracy.

Tudor said the NLD had failed to make democratic changes, choosing instead to increase controls on the media and arrest critics.

Government ministers have said peoples' expectations for the NLD's first years in office were unrealistically high. They also said the government had removed some of the worst laws from the days of military rule and planned additional reforms.

Ethnic-based parties are expected to pull some votes away from the NLD in the election on Sunday. Voting has been cancelled in more than 50 areas because of unrest.

Richard Horsey is an expert on Myanmar with the International Crisis Group. He said ethnic minorities no longer see Aung San Suu Kyi as their natural leader as they did in 2015. Instead, they now see her as their enemy.

"This could drive more armed conflict," he said.

Words in This Story

leaflet – n. a printed and often folded sheet of paper that is usually given to people for no cost

disillusionment – n. causing someone to stop believing that something is good, true, valuable, etc.

crackdown – n. a serious attempt to punish people for doing something that is not allowed

mischief – n. behavior or activity that is annoying but that is not meant to cause serious harm or damage

monk¹⁷ – n. a member of a religious community of men who usually promise to remain poor, unmarried, and separated from the rest of society

intent – n. the thing that you plan to do or achieve; an aim or purpose

puppet – n. a person or an organization that is controlled by another person or organization

1 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。

2 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

4 boycott   

n./v.(联合)抵制，拒绝参与

参考例句：

• We put the production under a boycott.我们联合抵制该商品。
• The boycott lasts a year until the Victoria board permitsreturn.这个抗争持续了一年直到维多利亚教育局妥协为止。

5 mischief   

n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹

参考例句：

• Nobody took notice of the mischief of the matter. 没有人注意到这件事情所带来的危害。
• He seems to intend mischief.看来他想捣蛋。

6 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。

7 defenders   

n.防御者( defender的名词复数 )；守卫者；保护者；辩护者

参考例句：

• The defenders were outnumbered and had to give in. 抵抗者寡不敌众，只能投降。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• After hard fighting,the defenders were still masters of the city. 守军经过奋战仍然控制着城市。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 condemning   

v.（通常因道义上的原因而）谴责( condemn的现在分词 )；宣判；宣布…不能使用；迫使…陷于不幸的境地

参考例句：

• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。
• I concur with the speaker in condemning what has been done. 我同意发言者对所做的事加以谴责。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

9 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

10 raping   

v.以暴力夺取，强夺( rape的现在分词 )；强奸

参考例句：

• In response, Charles VI sent a punitive expedition to Brittany, raping and killing the populace. 作为报复，查理六世派军讨伐布列塔尼，奸淫杀戮平民。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The conquerors marched on, burning, killing, raping and plundering as they went. 征服者所到之处烧杀奸掠，无所不做。 来自互联网

11 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。

12 accusation   

n.控告，指责，谴责

参考例句：

• I was furious at his making such an accusation.我对他的这种责备非常气愤。
• She knew that no one would believe her accusation.她知道没人会相信她的指控。

13 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

14 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

15 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。

16 Oxford   

n.牛津（英国城市）

参考例句：

• At present he has become a Professor of Chemistry at Oxford.他现在已是牛津大学的化学教授了。
• This is where the road to Oxford joins the road to London.这是去牛津的路与去伦敦的路的汇合处。

17 monk   

n.和尚，僧侣，修道士

参考例句：

• The man was a monk from Emei Mountain.那人是峨眉山下来的和尚。
• Buddhist monk sat with folded palms.和尚合掌打坐。