2006年VOA标准英语-East Timor Ruling Party Keeps Embattled PM in O

By Chad Bouchard
Jakarta
25 June 2006

East Timor's Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri talks on phone during a press conference at Fretilin party headquarters in Dili, the capital of East Timor, Sunday, June 25, 2006
  
  
East Timor's ruling party has voted to keep the embattled prime minister in office, defying calls for his resignation from the president and thousands of protesters.

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Members of East Timor's ruling Fretilin Party agreed Sunday to keep Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri in office, despite mounting pressure for his resignation.

Stanislau Da Silva is agriculture minister and a senior member of the central committee of the Fretilin Party.

"…We call on the president to re-open the dialogue… because we believe only through dialogue we can… find the best solution," Da Silva  says. "We don't believe that the resignation of the prime minister will, in the short term, resolve the unrest in Dili…. So… we appeal on the prime minister and the president to…  not resign from their present position."

Last week, the country's popular president, Xanana Gusmao, issued an ultimatum¹ threatening to resign, if Mr. Alkatiri remained in power.

Thousands of demonstrators loyal to the president called for him to reconsider. Mr. Gusmao agreed to remain, after the United Nations appealed for him to follow through with his constitutional duties.

Mr. Alkatiri has been blamed for mishandling a military mutiny that flared² into two months of general violence. The unrest paralyzed the capital, killed 21 people and displaced thousands more, causing a humanitarian³ crisis. Mr. Alkatiri has also been accused of arming militia⁴ groups and ordering them to assassinate⁵ his opponents, allegations he denies.

The recent violence was the worst since the country voted for independence from Indonesia in 1999, though an international peacekeeping force of nearly three-thousand troops has largely restored order.

Critics also accuse Mr. Alkatiri's government of failing to use the country's revenues from oil and gas exploration rights in the Timor Sea to build a viable⁶ economy and create jobs.

Ian Wilson with the Asia Research Center at Murdoch University in Western Australia says the economic situation may be as much to blame for the recent violence as political concerns.

"There have been suggestions that some of these different gangs have had political backing, but there has been no evidence to support this yet," Wilson says. "I think it's more likely that, when you have a country, such as East Timor, where there are such high levels of unemployment and a lot of dissatisfaction among young people, that a lot of these gangs have just taken the opportunity for more petty revenge or looting…."

Unemployment in the tiny nation of one-million is estimated around 70 percent.

Also on Sunday two ministers resigned, including Nobel peace prize winner Jose Ramos-Horta, who held both the foreign and defense⁷ portfolios⁸.

A spokesperson for the president said Ramos-Horta had resigned in protest, saying he felt the country was not working properly.

The transport (and communications) minister also resigned over the decision to retain Mr. Alkatiri.

1 ultimatum   

n.最后通牒

参考例句：

• This time the proposal was couched as an ultimatum.这一次该提议是以最后通牒的形式提出来的。
• The cabinet met today to discuss how to respond to the ultimatum.内阁今天开会商量如何应对这道最后通牒。

2 Flared   

adj. 端部张开的, 爆发的, 加宽的, 漏斗式的 动词flare的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The match flared and went out. 火柴闪亮了一下就熄了。
• The fire flared up when we thought it was out. 我们以为火已经熄灭，但它突然又燃烧起来。

3 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

4 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

5 assassinate   

vt.暗杀，行刺，中伤

参考例句：

• The police exposed a criminal plot to assassinate the president.警方侦破了一个行刺总统的阴谋。
• A plot to assassinate the banker has been uncovered by the police.暗杀银行家的密谋被警方侦破了。

6 viable   

adj.可行的，切实可行的，能活下去的

参考例句：

• The scheme is economically viable.这个计划从经济效益来看是可行的。
• The economy of the country is not viable.这个国家经济是难以维持的。

7 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。

8 portfolios   

n.投资组合( portfolio的名词复数 )；（保险）业务量；（公司或机构提供的）系列产品；纸夹

参考例句：

• Price risk arises in non-trading portfolios, as well as in trading portfolios. 价格风险中出现的非贸易投资，以及在贸易投资组合。 来自互联网
• How do we fatten our portfolios and stay financially healthy? 我们怎样育肥我们的投资结构和维持财政健康呢？ 来自互联网