2006年VOA标准英语-Southern Thai Militants Target Mobile Phon

By Ron Corben
Bangkok
22 January 2006

Thai bomb squad¹ officer defuses bombs found on the roadside in Narathiwat province, Nov. 25, 2005   
  
Muslim insurgents² in southern Thailand have adopted a new tactic³ in their fight against the government. They are bombing mobile telephone relay transmission infrastructure⁴ and disrupting communications in the turbulent region. The government says the attacks were probably in retaliation⁵ for new restrictions⁶ on cell phones aimed at preventing militants⁷ from using them to detonate bombs.

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On Friday a five-kilogram bomb exploded near a mobile phone antenna⁸ in the Thai province of Narathiwat, leaving one man dead.

The bombing followed attacks on Wednesday that targeted dozens of mobile phone transmission stations and antennas⁹ in four southern Thai provinces, and partially¹⁰ crippled the network.

The company most affected¹¹ by the attacks was DTAC - Thailand's second largest service provider.

Ketchayong Skowratananont, a department head for DTAC says the militants are targeting the mobile phone infrastructure to maximize disruption.

"I think now mobile phones are maybe just like electricity or water or transportation - we now become the public services. So then it's possible - it becomes a possible target for all the militants if they want to create some sort of crisis," he said.

But Ketchayong says the system will be back to normal within weeks and the company is stepping up security along the network.

The Thai government says the attacks are most likely in response to its recent efforts to prevent militants from detonating bombs using the signals from local mobile phones as well as those from neighboring Malaysia.

The government has stipulated¹² that all mobile phone cards must be registered and talks are underway with Malaysia to block mobile phone signals crossing into Thailand's southern border provinces.

Thai police say Friday's explosion was likely to have been triggered by a phone with a Malaysian number.

Zachary Abuza, a political science professor at Simmons College, Boston and a specialist on Islamic militancy¹³ in South East Asia, says the government's registration¹⁴ strategy has paid off.

"Guerillas are inherently conservative. They have limited capabilities¹⁵," siad Professor Abuza. "Though there have been improvements in bomb technology, the fact is the cell phone regulations have worked."

But Abuza says the bombings are likely to continue despite the government's efforts. He says the militants' bomb-making capabilities have improved.

"The technical capacity has gone up. If you look, since 2004 they started with two-kilogram pipe bombs, they graduated, they crossed the five-kilogram threshold, they got beyond the 10-kilogram on a regular basis. They're up to 50 kilograms on occasions," he continued. "They're using different bombs - they're using TNT, they're using ammonium nitrate…."

Since the current insurgency¹⁶ erupted in southern Thailand in early 2004, more than one thousand people have been killed in bombings, drive by shootings and other violence, with the main targets state officials and the security forces.

The Thai government blames the violence on a mix of factors - Islamic separatists, organized crime and local corruption¹⁷.

1 squad   

n.班，小队，小团体；vt.把…编成班或小组

参考例句：

• The squad leader ordered the men to mark time.班长命令战士们原地踏步。
• A squad is the smallest unit in an army.班是军队的最小构成单位。

2 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

3 tactic   

n.战略，策略；adj.战术的，有策略的

参考例句：

• Reducing prices is a common sales tactic.降价是常用的销售策略。
• She had often used the tactic of threatening to resign.她惯用以辞职相威胁的手法。

4 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

5 retaliation   

n.报复，反击

参考例句：

• retaliation against UN workers 对联合国工作人员的报复
• He never said a single word in retaliation. 他从未说过一句反击的话。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 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

7 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。

8 antenna   

n.触角，触须；天线

参考例句：

• The workman fixed the antenna to the roof of the house.工人把天线固定在房顶上。
• In our village, there is an antenna on every roof for receiving TV signals.在我们村里，每家房顶上都有天线接收电视信号。

9 antennas   

[生] 触角，触须（antenna的复数形式）

参考例句：

• Marconi tied several antennas to kites. 马可尼在风筝上系了几根天线。 来自超越目标英语 第3册
• Radio astronomy today is armed with the largest antennas in the world. 射电天文学拥有世界上最大的天线。

10 partially   

adv.部分地，从某些方面讲

参考例句：

• The door was partially concealed by the drapes.门有一部分被门帘遮住了。
• The police managed to restore calm and the curfew was partially lifted.警方设法恢复了平静，宵禁部分解除。

11 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。

12 stipulated   

vt.& vi.规定；约定adj.[法]合同规定的

参考例句：

• A delivery date is stipulated in the contract. 合同中规定了交货日期。
• Yes, I think that's what we stipulated. 对呀，我想那是我们所订定的。 来自辞典例句

13 militancy   

n.warlike behavior or tendency

参考例句：

• Full of militancy and revolutionary ardour, the people of all nationalities in the country are working hard for the realization of the four modernizations. 全国各族人民意气风发， 斗志昂扬，为实现四个现代化而奋战。
• The seniority system is another factor that leads to union militancy. 排资论辈制度也是导致工会好斗争的另一因素。

14 registration   

n.登记，注册，挂号

参考例句：

• Marriage without registration is not recognized by law.法律不承认未登记的婚姻。
• What's your registration number?你挂的是几号？

15 capabilities   

n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力

参考例句：

• He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities. 他有点自大，自视甚高。 来自辞典例句
• Some programmers use tabs to break complex product capabilities into smaller chunks. 一些程序员认为，标签可以将复杂的功能分为每个窗格一组简单的功能。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

16 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

17 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。