2006年VOA标准英语-Nepalese Maoist Rebels Threaten More Attac

By Patricia Nunan
New Delhi
16 January 2006

Security personnel investigate the site of Saturday's explosion at a municipal office in Patan, on the outskirts¹ of Katmandu   
  
Nepal's Maoist rebels Monday warned of more attacks in cities in the run-up to municipal elections in early February. At least 12 people were killed in recent days in attacks around the capital Kathmandu.

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Rebel leaders have warned the people of Nepal to be ready for a "storm of agitation²" as they prepare for a series of strikes aimed at disrupting next month's elections. In a statement on the rebel webpage, the Maoist group says it will be carrying out these new attacks in the cities, not the countryside.

The threat comes as Nepal approaches the first year anniversary of King Gyanendra's seizure³ of power. On February 1, the king dismissed parliament, arrested scores of political leaders, censored⁴ the media, and imposed many restrictions⁵ on civil liberties - which are still in place today.

The king said he was forced to act because political parties had failed to end the country's nine year communist insurgency⁶. The rebels call themselves Maoists since they draw their inspiration from the late Chinese leader Mao Zedong.

Nepal's once-squabbling political parties are now also united, joining the Maoists in their threat to disrupt these elections.

"It's not only the Maoist threat that will not let it happen. It's also all the political parties, which are going to obstruct," explained Sukh Deo Muni, a professor at the Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi. "They have already claimed that the seven party alliance will not allow these elections take place, because the purpose of these elections is to get legitimacy⁷ for the king's actions."

More than 12,000 people have died since the Maoists launched their insurgency in 1996, in a bid to overthrow⁸ Nepal's monarchy⁹. Human rights activists¹⁰ say many of the dead are ordinary Nepalese, who are often falsely accused by one side for working for the other.

Already there are signs the rebels are making good on their threat to move the conflict from their traditional rural grounds into the cities. In recent days, the rebels have attacked several targets around the capital Kathmandu, killing¹¹ at least 12 people.

Mr. Muni says that as a guerrilla army, the rebels lack the capacity to take and hold territory, such as the capital. But still, they can undermine the people's confidence in the king's ability to keep order.

"They have more of a negative capacity to disturb the security structure of the capital. They may still not be able to take it," he said. "There cannot be an open conventional war, there would certainly be bomb blasts and killings¹² and this and that."

King Gyanendra says the February elections for the municipal councils are a step toward restoring democracy in Nepal. Parliamentary elections, he says, will follow next year.

1 outskirts   

n.郊外，郊区

参考例句：

• Our car broke down on the outskirts of the city.我们的汽车在市郊出了故障。
• They mostly live on the outskirts of a town.他们大多住在近郊。

2 agitation   

n.搅动；搅拌；鼓动，煽动

参考例句：

• Small shopkeepers carried on a long agitation against the big department stores.小店主们长期以来一直在煽动人们反对大型百货商店。
• These materials require constant agitation to keep them in suspension.这些药剂要经常搅动以保持悬浮状态。

3 seizure   

n.没收；占有；抵押

参考例句：

• The seizure of contraband is made by customs.那些走私品是被海关没收的。
• The courts ordered the seizure of all her property.法院下令查封她所有的财产。

4 censored   

受审查的，被删剪的

参考例句：

• The news reports had been heavily censored . 这些新闻报道已被大幅删剪。
• The military-backed government has heavily censored the news. 有军方撑腰的政府对新闻进行了严格审查。

5 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

6 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

7 legitimacy   

n.合法，正当

参考例句：

• The newspaper was directly challenging the government's legitimacy.报纸直接质疑政府的合法性。
• Managing from the top down,we operate with full legitimacy.我们进行由上而下的管理有充分的合法性。

8 overthrow   

v.推翻，打倒，颠覆；n.推翻，瓦解，颠覆

参考例句：

• After the overthrow of the government,the country was in chaos.政府被推翻后，这个国家处于混乱中。
• The overthrow of his plans left him much discouraged.他的计划的失败使得他很气馁。

9 monarchy   

n.君主，最高统治者；君主政体，君主国

参考例句：

• The monarchy in England plays an important role in British culture.英格兰的君主政体在英国文化中起重要作用。
• The power of the monarchy in Britain today is more symbolical than real.今日英国君主的权力多为象徵性的，无甚实际意义。

10 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》

11 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。

12 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。