2006年VOA标准英语-Thai Army Stymied in South, Seeks New Approach

By Ron Corben
Bangkok
07 September 2006

A road damaged by a bomb that went off when a pickup¹ truck with soldiers riding on it drove past on Aug. 26, 2006 in Yala province  
  
Thailand's armed forces, grappling for almost two years with an insurgency² in the southern provinces, are looking for fresh avenues to peace, including talks, in a bid to end the bloodshed. But, rebuilding trust among Thai Muslims in the south remains³ a challenge.

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Seeking an end to the violence in Thailand's southern provinces, army chief General Sondhi Boonyaratglin recently called for talks with Muslim insurgent⁴ leaders.

General Sondhi's call followed a coordinated⁶ bomb attack during the lunch hour rush on 22 banks in Yala that left one man dead and more than two dozen wounded. 

 
Thai police officers examine the damage inside the Yala branch of Kasikorn Bank after a bomb exploded Thursday, Aug. 31, 2006 in Yala province, southern Thailand
  
An almost daily toll⁷ of violence since early 2004 has continued despite the presence of up to 20,000 troops in the three provinces. The bloodshed has left more than 1,500 people dead.

Lieutenant⁸ General Vaipot Srinual, a member of the Armed Forces Security Center within the army's Supreme⁹ Command Headquarters, says all avenues to establish peace need to be explored.

"To resolve the problem in the southern part of Thailand we cannot rely on only one or two solutions," he said. "We need a package of solutions and whatever General Sondhi suggest[ed] is one of the good ways."

Political analysts¹⁰ say the call for talks could be an important step toward bringing calm to the provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat.

One insurgent group, the Pattani United Liberation Organization, or PULO, has welcomed the idea. Pulo is one of several insurgent groups in an umbrella organization called Bersatu. Intelligence officials recently told VOA that another group within Bersatu, the Barisan Revolusi Nasional Melayu Pattani Coordinate⁵, is responsible for much of the violence.

A Thai soldier guards as a Thai-Muslim student walks past in a village, Narathiwat province, July 5, 2006  
  
The southern provinces are home to most of Thailand's Muslim population. The bulk of the country's people are Buddhists¹² and the Muslims in the south have long complained of discrimination and neglect by the central government.

The precise agenda of the militants¹³ in the south has always been unclear. Doubts persist over the strength of links between the leadership, often in exile overseas, and the fighters on the ground.

Chulalongkorn University political scientist Panitan Wattanayagorn says security force officials already are trying to open channels of communication with insurgent leaders.

"There have been some activities relating to the negotiation¹⁴ among certain public and security officers and some of the leaders of the groups that are active in causing trouble in the south," he said. "The army chief admitted that there should be a new round of negotiations¹⁵ between security officers and leaders of the movement like Bersatu."

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra (file photo)   
  

The military's call for talks, however, conflicts directly with the Thai government's position. The government of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has so far refused to talk with the insurgents¹⁶. And the government spokesman has downplayed expectations of any early move to talks, saying that the government, not the military, sets the ground rules on how to solve the southern problem.

For months before the generals called for talks, their forces have been trying to reduce the violence by rebuilding the military's relationship with communities in the south.

Human rights groups say military excesses in 2004 made people in the south distrustful of the armed forces and unwilling¹⁷ to cooperate with them.

In April 2004, security forces killed 112 lightly armed insurgents, mostly teenagers, who had attacked police stations and checkpoints.

The dead included 32 men who had fled to the 425-year-old Krue Sae mosque¹⁸ for sanctuary¹⁹. The military attacked the mosque, killing²⁰ all inside.

Another incident, which still angers many southern Thais, occurred on August 25, 2004, in the Narathiwat town of Tak Bai. Seventy-eight men died when they were rounded up and stacked into overcrowded trucks after soldiers broke up a public gathering²¹ that they feared was turning into a riot.

Allegations of extrajudicial killings²² and the placing of people on security blacklists for no clear reason have also spawned²³ fear within the Muslim community. The region also is under martial²⁴ law, which gives the military the right to conduct searches for no reason, impose curfews and limit travel.

Sunai Pasuk, a Bangkok representative for the U.S.-based Human Rights Watch, says greater equality between Muslim and Buddhist¹¹ communities in the south is needed to help rebuild community confidence.

"All the Thai authorities must act on an equal basis - treat all the victims of violence equally, so if a Muslim claims that their family members have been executed or disappeared there needs to be an investigation²⁵ immediately - not like it is now - after three or four years," said Sunai.

The army is trying to reach Muslim communities through special programs, such as employment projects for village women. The army also provided funds for community buildings and has backed projects to help rubber farmers.

But Sunai says such programs are not enough - they must be accompanied by the restoration of legal rights.

"Above all job creation needs to be done hand in hand with confidence building through the provision of justice, the provision of fairness, equality under the law - this needs to be happening at the same time," said Sunai.

Sunai adds that, for the government to succeed in "winning the hearts and minds" of Muslims in the south, the security forces need be seen as a protector and guarantor of safety and justice in their communities.

1 pickup   

n.拾起，获得

参考例句：

• I would love to trade this car for a pickup truck.我愿意用这辆汽车换一辆小型轻便卡车。||The luck guy is a choice pickup for the girls.那位幸运的男孩是女孩子们想勾搭上的人。

2 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

3 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

4 insurgent   

adj.叛乱的，起事的；n.叛乱分子

参考例句：

• Faruk says they are threatened both by insurgent and government forces.法鲁克说，他们受到暴乱分子和政府军队的双重威胁。
• The insurgent mob assembled at the gate of the city park.叛变的暴徒聚在市立公园的门口。

5 coordinate   

adj.同等的，协调的；n.同等者；vt.协作，协调

参考例句：

• You must coordinate what you said with what you did.你必须使你的言行一致。
• Maybe we can coordinate the relation of them.或许我们可以调和他们之间的关系。

6 coordinated   

adj.协调的

参考例句：

• The sound has to be coordinated with the picture. 声音必须和画面协调一致。
• The numerous existing statutes are complicated and poorly coordinated. 目前繁多的法令既十分复杂又缺乏快调。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

7 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

8 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。

9 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

10 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。

11 Buddhist   

adj./n.佛教的，佛教徒

参考例句：

• The old lady fell down in adoration before Buddhist images.那老太太在佛像面前顶礼膜拜。
• In the eye of the Buddhist,every worldly affair is vain.在佛教徒的眼里，人世上一切事情都是空的。

12 Buddhists   

n.佛教徒( Buddhist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Jesuits in a phase of ascendancy, persecuted and insulted the Buddhists with great acrimony. 处于地位上升阶段的耶稣会修士迫害佛教徒，用尖刻的语言辱骂他们。 来自英汉非文学 - 历史
• The return of Saivite rule to central Java had brought no antagonism between Buddhists and Hindus. 湿婆教在中爪哇恢复统治后，并没有导致佛教徒与印度教徒之间的对立。 来自辞典例句

13 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。

14 negotiation   

n.谈判，协商

参考例句：

• They closed the deal in sugar after a week of negotiation.经过一星期的谈判，他们的食糖生意成交了。
• The negotiation dragged on until July.谈判一直拖到7月份。

15 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

16 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

17 unwilling   

adj.不情愿的

参考例句：

• The natives were unwilling to be bent by colonial power.土著居民不愿受殖民势力的摆布。
• His tightfisted employer was unwilling to give him a raise.他那吝啬的雇主不肯给他加薪。

18 mosque   

n.清真寺

参考例句：

• The mosque is a activity site and culture center of Muslim religion.清真寺为穆斯林宗教活动场所和文化中心。
• Some years ago the clock in the tower of the mosque got out of order.几年前，清真寺钟楼里的大钟失灵了。

19 sanctuary   

n.圣所，圣堂，寺庙；禁猎区，保护区

参考例句：

• There was a sanctuary of political refugees behind the hospital.医院后面有一个政治难民的避难所。
• Most countries refuse to give sanctuary to people who hijack aeroplanes.大多数国家拒绝对劫机者提供庇护。

20 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。

21 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

22 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。

23 spawned   

（鱼、蛙等）大量产（卵）( spawn的过去式和过去分词 )； 大量生产

参考例句：

• The band's album spawned a string of hit singles. 这支乐队的专辑繁衍出一连串走红的单曲唱片。
• The computer industry has spawned a lot of new companies. 由于电脑工业的发展，许多新公司纷纷成立。

24 martial   

adj.战争的，军事的，尚武的，威武的

参考例句：

• The sound of martial music is always inspiring.军乐声总是鼓舞人心的。
• The officer was convicted of desertion at a court martial.这名军官在军事法庭上被判犯了擅离职守罪。

25 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。