2006年VOA标准英语-New Violence in East Timor as Former PM's Suppo

By Chad Bouchard
Jakarta
28 June 2006

A new wave of violence in East Timor is raising fresh concerns over the country's stability after Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri resigned earlier this week. Rival factions¹ and international peacekeepers are squaring off again as Mr. Alkatiri's supporters riot near refugee camps on the outskirts² of Dili. 

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Australian soldier stands guard in front of a burning building in Dili, June 28, 2006  
  
Groups of Mari Alkatiri's supporters and their rivals threw stones and burned houses and shops in Dili Wednesday. The fighting escalated⁴ after television broadcasts of a rally for the ex-prime minister, who resigned Monday.

The worst conflicts broke out between rival groups near refugee camps on the outskirts of the city. Shots rang out near the camps and peacekeepers struggled to quell⁵ the attacks.

Thousands of Mr. Alkatiri's supporters were seen at the rally outside Dili and there were calls for them to march on the capital. Mr. Alkatiri asked for the demonstrators to remain peaceful.

The marchers dispersed⁶, but there are plans for demonstrations⁸ on Thursday in the city.

East Timor government spokesman Jose Guterres downplays concerns about supporters' plans to move into the capital on Thursday.

"They will gather peacefully. And the demonstration⁷ will be for peace, for the stability of the country, and will support Mr. Alkatiri and the Fretilin party," he said.

About 30 people have died and as many as 150,000 people fled the city since the violence broke out three months ago. Mr. Alkatiri has been blamed in part for triggering the fighting when he fired 600 members of the East Timor military.

Many politicians and political analysts⁹ say the country's poverty and high unemployment rate contribute to public anger. They say the clashes also reflect long simmering divisions between people from the east and the west of the country. Many easterners claim credit for fighting the guerrilla war that eventually led to independence from Indonesia, while westerners are considered to have supported Jakarta in the fight.

Allegations that he helped armed militia¹⁰ troops to assassinate¹¹ political opponents are still under investigation¹². He is expected to be summoned to court Friday, which is likely to cause another surge of anger among his supporters. 

About 2,500 peacekeeping troops, most of them from Australia, were called in last month in an attempt to prevent further bloodshed. Those forces are now trying to ease gang conflicts, while reinforcing blockades and checkpoints throughout the city.

Johnson Panjaitan served as a lawyer for President Gusmao and helped establish the new country's judicial¹³ system. He says conflict in East Timor will continue until the government allows more international intervention¹⁴.

Panjaitan says local law enforcement is hamstrung because the police themselves are engaged in the rivalry¹⁵ between groups in the east and west of the country. He says to find a solution, the country's leaders should allow police officers, lawyers and judges from the United Nations to establish order.

He says until that happens, the violence is likely to escalate³.

Xanana Gusmao   
  
President Gusmao extended his emergency powers on Tuesday in response to the crisis, which gives him direct control over the military for 30 days. He also has the ability to break up large gatherings¹⁶, conduct searches, and confiscate¹⁷ weapons. He also said he would hold new elections if the country's ruling Fretilin party failed to find a new prime minister.

1 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别

2 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。

3 escalate   

v.(使)逐步增长(或发展)，(使)逐步升级

参考例句：

• It would tempt Israel's neighbors to escalate their demands.它将诱使以色列的邻国不断把他们的要求升级。
• Defeat could cause one side or other to escalate the conflict.失败可能会导致其中一方将冲突升级。

4 escalated   

v.（使）逐步升级( escalate的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）逐步扩大；（使）更高；（使）更大

参考例句：

• The fighting escalated into a full-scale war. 这场交战逐步扩大为全面战争。
• The demonstration escalated into a pitched battle with the police. 示威逐步升级，演变成了一场同警察的混战。

5 quell   

v.压制，平息，减轻

参考例句：

• Soldiers were sent in to quell the riots.士兵们被派去平息骚乱。
• The armed force had to be called out to quell violence.不得不出动军队来镇压暴力行动。

6 dispersed   

adj. 被驱散的, 被分散的, 散布的

参考例句：

• The clouds dispersed themselves. 云散了。
• After school the children dispersed to their homes. 放学后，孩子们四散回家了。

7 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

8 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

9 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。

10 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。

11 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。

12 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

13 judicial   

adj.司法的，法庭的，审判的，明断的，公正的

参考例句：

• He is a man with a judicial mind.他是个公正的人。
• Tom takes judicial proceedings against his father.汤姆对他的父亲正式提出诉讼。

14 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。

15 rivalry   

n.竞争，竞赛，对抗

参考例句：

• The quarrel originated in rivalry between the two families.这次争吵是两家不和引起的。
• He had a lot of rivalry with his brothers and sisters.他和兄弟姐妹间经常较劲。

16 gatherings   

聚集( gathering的名词复数 )； 收集； 采集； 搜集

参考例句：

• His conduct at social gatherings created a lot of comment. 他在社交聚会上的表现引起许多闲话。
• During one of these gatherings a pupil caught stealing. 有一次，其中一名弟子偷窃被抓住。

17 confiscate   

v.没收(私人财产)，把…充公

参考例句：

• The police have the right to confiscate any forbidden objects they find.如发现违禁货物，警方有权查扣。
• Did the teacher confiscate your toy?老师没收你的玩具了吗？