2006年VOA标准英语-US Reviewing Thailand Aid Following Coup

By David Gollust
New York
21 September 2006

Christopher Hill   
  
A senior State Department official says the United States is reviewing aid to Thailand following the military coup¹ that toppled the government of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian Affairs Christopher Hill discussed the issue with regional colleagues on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York.

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The State Department has said there is no justification² for the Thai military coup, and Assistant Secretary Hill says the aid review is mandatory³ under various U.S. laws governing foreign assistance programs.

The senior State Department official spoke⁴ to reporters after attending, with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, an eight-nation meeting on northeast Asian security issues that was otherwise dominated by the North Korean nuclear issue.

Hill said the United States is monitoring developments in Bangkok closely and considers the overthrow⁵ of the civilian⁶ government a sad development for Thailand, which has been a long-standing U.S. ally in the region:

"We have made very clear in our statements that we consider this military move to be a step backward for Thai democracy, a very sad development for Thai democracy," he said. "We are also reviewing our assistance to Thailand in light of the various legal implications of assistance to a country in which there has been a military coup to depose⁷ a civilian elected leadership."

 
Thai soldier sits on a tank guarding the Parliament in Bangkok,September 21, 2006
  
U.S. aid to Thailand is wide ranging and includes various economic and military programs. Assistant Secretary Hill said he had no immediate⁸ announcement of punitive⁹ action.

The White House said Wednesday all aspects of the relationship were under review and that negotiations¹⁰ on a free trade agreement with Thailand depended on a restoration of democracy.

Spokesman Tony Snow said the Bush administration hopes the coup leaders make good, swiftly, on their promise to restore civilian rule.

The country's military leaders have promised to appoint an interim¹¹ prime minister within two weeks and hold new elections within a year.

Prime Minister Thaksin was in New York attending the opening of the U.N. General Assembly when the coup occurred.

He flew to London Wednesday without meeting Secretary Rice or other senior U.S. officials attending the events here.

1 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。

2 justification   

n.正当的理由；辩解的理由

参考例句：

• There's no justification for dividing the company into smaller units. 没有理由把公司划分成小单位。
• In the young there is a justification for this feeling. 在年轻人中有这种感觉是有理由的。

3 mandatory   

adj.命令的；强制的；义务的；n.受托者

参考例句：

• It's mandatory to pay taxes.缴税是义务性的。
• There is no mandatory paid annual leave in the U.S.美国没有强制带薪年假。

4 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

5 overthrow   

v.推翻，打倒，颠覆；n.推翻，瓦解，颠覆

参考例句：

• After the overthrow of the government,the country was in chaos.政府被推翻后，这个国家处于混乱中。
• The overthrow of his plans left him much discouraged.他的计划的失败使得他很气馁。

6 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

7 depose   

vt.免职；宣誓作证

参考例句：

• The witness is going to depose.证人即将宣誓做证。
• The emperor attempted to depose the Pope.皇帝企图废黜教皇。

8 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

9 punitive   

adj.惩罚的，刑罚的

参考例句：

• They took punitive measures against the whole gang.他们对整帮人采取惩罚性措施。
• The punitive tariff was imposed to discourage tire imports from China.该惩罚性关税的征收是用以限制中国轮胎进口的措施。

10 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。

11 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。