2006年VOA标准英语-Thai Interim Prime Minister Faces Challenge in

By Ron Corben
Bangkok
03 October 2006

The new Thai prime minister, retired¹ Army General Surayud Chulanont, is highly respected within his country. But Mr. Surayud faces enormous challenges in getting Thailand's democracy back on track following last month's military coup².

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Surayud Chulanont talks to reporters Monday, October 2, 2006

Thailand's newly appointed prime minister, 63-year-old General Surayud Chulanont, took the oath of office Sunday.

The retired army commander replaces Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted³ in a bloodless military coup on September 19, following months of unrest sparked by allegations of corruption⁴.

Analysts⁵ say Mr. Surayud has long believed the military should stay out of politics, but coup leader General Sondhi Boonyaratglin convinced him to take the top job as a service to the country.

Thitinand Pongsudhirak, a political scientist at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University, believes that, by taking up the post of interim⁶ prime minister, Mr. Surayud is laying his credibility on the line.

"It's a big risk on his part to take this job. If it doesn't end well it could tarnish⁷ his solid prominent reputation," he noted⁸. "It's also a big gamble on the military council. General Surayud is the military's best choice. They come from the same mold; they speak the same language. So the next year ahead - 12 - 18 months - will be a tall order for General Surayud."

A graduate of the Royal Thai Military Academy, Mr. Surayud later studied at the Army Command and General Staff College in the United States and completed the Defense⁹ Resources Management Course there.

His father, a lieutenant¹⁰ colonel, left the army and joined the defunct¹¹ Communist Party of Thailand. Mr. Surayud has said his father had taught him "how to be a good officer. He taught me how to be a good citizen of this country."

During the Vietnam War, Mr. Surayud served on the front line in Laos and later helped defeat a communist insurgency¹² in northeast Thailand.

Mr. Surayud became an aide to army commander General Prem Tinsulanonda during the 1970s and 1980s. These were turbulent years because of communist and Islamist insurgencies and military interventions¹³ in politics.

When General Prem retired in 1988, Mr. Surayud returned to active duty. His responsibilities included commanding special warfare¹⁴ units.

In 1998, Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai selected Mr. Surayud as army commander in a move aimed at reducing corruption and promoting professionalism within the armed services.

After Mr. Thaksin won office in 2001, he and Mr. Surayud reportedly clashed over issues such as political interference in the armed forces. Mr. Surayud was moved to the mostly honorary post of commander-in-chief in 2002. He retired the following year and joined the Privy¹⁵ Council, an advisory¹⁶ body to Thailand's king.

Thitinand says Mr. Surayud now has new battles to fight, including promoting reconciliation¹⁷ with Thaksin supporters as well as reaching out to democracy advocates.

Above all, Thitinand says, Mr. Surayud will have to balance these issues while keeping the support of the military.

"General Surayud has to keep the military in line, because the military want to maintain control," he explained. " They want to maintain influence over the performance of the government. But if General Surayud give too much leeway to the military he will look like a puppet."

Mr. Surayud has said he will focus on solving Thailand's political problems and dealing¹⁸ with the insurgency in the largely Muslim southern provinces.

Mr. Surayud said Thais should try to jointly¹⁹ solve their problems and in doing so "it will be like we have passed the moment of crisis."

Some governments and rights organizations have voiced concern over Thailand's new prime minister, urging a quick return to democracy and the full restoration of civil rights, such as media freedom and the right to form political parties.

1 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

2 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

3 ousted   

驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
• He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。

4 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。

5 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

6 interim   

adj.暂时的，临时的；n.间歇，过渡期间

参考例句：

• The government is taking interim measures to help those in immediate need.政府正在采取临时措施帮助那些有立即需要的人。
• It may turn out to be an interim technology.这可能只是个过渡技术。

7 tarnish   

n.晦暗，污点；vt.使失去光泽；玷污

参考例句：

• The affair could tarnish the reputation of the prime minister.这一事件可能有损首相的名誉。
• Stainless steel products won't tarnish.不锈钢产品不会失去光泽。

8 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

9 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

10 lieutenant   

n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员

参考例句：

• He was promoted to be a lieutenant in the army.他被提升为陆军中尉。
• He prevailed on the lieutenant to send in a short note.他说动那个副官，递上了一张简短的便条进去。

11 defunct   

adj.死亡的；已倒闭的

参考例句：

• The scheme for building an airport seems to be completely defunct now.建造新机场的计划看来整个完蛋了。
• This schema object is defunct.No modifications are allowed until it is made active again.此架构对象不起作用。在重新激活之前，不能进行任何改动。

12 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

13 interventions   

n.介入，干涉，干预( intervention的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Economic analysis of government interventions deserves detailed discussion. 政府对经济的干预应该给予充分的论述。 来自辞典例句
• The judge's frequent interventions made a mockery of justice. 法官的屡屡干预是对正义的践踏。 来自互联网

14 warfare   

n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突

参考例句：

• He addressed the audience on the subject of atomic warfare.他向听众演讲有关原子战争的问题。
• Their struggle consists mainly in peasant guerrilla warfare.他们的斗争主要是农民游击战。

15 privy   

adj.私用的；隐密的

参考例句：

• Only three people,including a policeman,will be privy to the facts.只会允许3个人，其中包括一名警察，了解这些内情。
• Very few of them were privy to the details of the conspiracy.他们中很少有人知道这一阴谋的详情。

16 advisory   

adj.劝告的，忠告的，顾问的，提供咨询

参考例句：

• I have worked in an advisory capacity with many hospitals.我曾在多家医院做过顾问工作。
• He was appointed to the advisory committee last month.他上个月获任命为顾问委员会委员。

17 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

18 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

19 jointly   

ad.联合地，共同地

参考例句：

• Tenants are jointly and severally liable for payment of the rent. 租金由承租人共同且分别承担。
• She owns the house jointly with her husband. 她和丈夫共同拥有这所房子。