2007年VOA标准英语-Seventeen Palestinians Abducted in Baghdad

By Lisa Schlein
Geneva
23 January 2007

Palestinian girl, shows wedding picture of her father Adnan Abdullah at her apartment in Baghdad's eastern Baladiat district, after the  arrest of her father and uncles by Iraqi police (File photo - 26 March 2006)

The U.N. refugee agency reports 17 Palestinian men were seized from their apartments in Baghdad by armed men wearing some sort of police uniforms. The UNHCR says it is unable to verify reports that the men have now been released. Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from Geneva.

U.N. refugee spokesman Ron Redmond says the Palestinian men were living in apartments rented by the UNHCR. He says the abductions occurred very early in the morning. He says the men were driven away in police vehicles, but their families were left alone.

"Witnesses said the policemen entered the apartments of the Palestinians by force at 5:00 a.m. today, breaking doors and windows and leaving the place a mess. UNHCR is very concerned and is seeking information on the Palestinians' whereabouts from Iraqi authorities. The special representative of the secretary-general in Baghdad is also taking this up with senior Iraqi officials," said Redmond.

There are an estimated 15,000 Palestinians remaining in Iraq. This is less than half of the estimated figure before the US-led invasion in 2003. The UNHCR says the Palestinians are living in constant fear of harassment¹, killings², and kidnappings in Baghdad.

Redmond tells VOA no one really knows the identity of the uniformed men who took the Palestinians away.

"It is true that there have been numerous reports of uniformed people abducting³ people in Baghdad," he said. "So, that sort or thing has to be a concern. But, this may or may not have been legitimate⁴. We do not know."

Palestinians had received preferential treatment under the regime of Saddam Hussein. After Saddam was toppled, many were evicted⁵ by landlords hostile to their presence.

Redmond says the 17 abducted⁶ Palestinians were among those who lost their homes in 2003. He says they have been housed in group apartments provided by the UNHCR and the Ministry⁷ of Displacement⁸ and Migration⁹.

He says many Palestinians fearful for their lives have tried to flee Baghdad. But, he says it is very difficult for them to move because they lack documentation.

"They cannot get the paperwork required to leave Iraq. And, also, they have an extremely difficult time getting access to surrounding countries," added Redmond. "There are still some 500 Palestinians, for example, stuck at the Syrian border and more than 100 in an isolated¹⁰ desert camp in Jordan."

Redmond says many Palestinians who have tried to leave Baghdad have been turned back by militia¹¹.

1 harassment   

n.骚扰，扰乱，烦恼，烦乱

参考例句：

• She often got telephone harassment at night these days.这些天她经常在夜晚受到电话骚扰。
• The company prohibits any form of harassment.公司禁止任何形式的骚扰行为。

2 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。

3 abducting   

劫持，诱拐( abduct的现在分词 )； 使（肢体等）外展

参考例句：

• She was charged with abducting a six-month-old child. 她被控诱拐一个6个月大的孩子。
• At the same time, the rate of abducting foreigners is going down. 同时，发生在外国人身上的绑架案正在下降。

4 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

5 evicted   

v.（依法从房屋里或土地上）驱逐，赶出( evict的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• A number of tenants have been evicted for not paying the rent. 许多房客因不付房租被赶了出来。
• They had evicted their tenants for non-payment of rent. 他们赶走了未交房租的房客。

6 abducted   

劫持，诱拐( abduct的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（肢体等）外展

参考例句：

• Detectives have not ruled out the possibility that she was abducted. 侦探尚未排除她被绑架的可能性。
• The kid was abducted at the gate of kindergarten. 那小孩在幼儿园大门口被绑架走了。

7 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

8 displacement   

n.移置，取代，位移，排水量

参考例句：

• They said that time is the feeling of spatial displacement.他们说时间是空间位移的感觉。
• The displacement of all my energy into caring for the baby.我所有精力都放在了照顾宝宝上。

9 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

10 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

11 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。