VOA常速英语2007年-Rights Groups Find More Disappearances in Phili

By Claudia Blume
Hong Kong
16 November 2007

Hong Kong-based human rights groups who recently returned from a fact-finding mission to the Philippines found that the frequency of extrajudicial killings² in the country has gone down. Disappearances³, however, have gone up, as Claudia Blume reports from VOA's Asia News Center in Hong Kong.

International condemnation⁴ of extrajudicial killings in the Philippines appears to have had an effect. Hong Kong-based human rights groups, which recently returned from a fact-finding mission to the Philippines, say the frequency of the killings has gone down in recent months while the number of disappearances has gone up.

Michael Anthony is with the Asian Human Rights Commission in Hong Kong.

"The government is obviously under a lot of pressure and may be trying to have some impact on the behavior of the military, who are conducting a counter-insurgency battle against armed leftist groups throughout the country," he said.

Anthony says that the Philippine military, in their fight against armed leftist groups such as the New People's Army, often kill people who are simply unarmed sympathizers to these groups' causes.

He says while there may be fewer killings, the rising number of disappearances is disturbing.

"These are killings by other means. It just means you don't find the body generally," he said.

Anthony says most cases - whether disappearances or killings - are not properly investigated.

"Real investigation⁵ of the crime scene, of witnesses, family members of victims, is not being done in a way that is acceptable," he said.

Anthony says the judicial¹ system in the Philippines relies heavily on witnesses. Many are too scared to come forward, however, and there are no mechanisms⁶ to protect them.

Human rights groups say more than 800 political, labor⁷ and human rights activists⁸ have been killed in the Philippines since President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo⁹ came to power in 2001.

Investigations¹⁰ by a government-appointed commission as well as an envoy¹¹ of the United Nations earlier this year linked a significant number of the killings to the Philippines' armed forces.

President Arroyo has vowed¹² on several occasions to tackle the problem, but the human rights groups say there has been no successful punishment of those responsible.

1 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。

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 disappearances   

n.消失( disappearance的名词复数 )；丢失；失踪；失踪案

参考例句：

• Most disappearances are the result of the terrorist activity. 大多数的失踪案都是恐怖分子造成的。 来自辞典例句
• The espionage, the betrayals, the arrests, the tortures, the executions, the disappearances will never cease. 间谍活动、叛党卖国、逮捕拷打、处决灭迹，这种事情永远不会完。 来自英汉文学

4 condemnation   

n.谴责; 定罪

参考例句：

• There was widespread condemnation of the invasion. 那次侵略遭到了人们普遍的谴责。
• The jury's condemnation was a shock to the suspect. 陪审团宣告有罪使嫌疑犯大为震惊。

5 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。

6 mechanisms   

n.机械( mechanism的名词复数 )；机械装置；[生物学] 机制；机械作用

参考例句：

• The research will provide direct insight into molecular mechanisms. 这项研究将使人能够直接地了解分子的机理。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He explained how the two mechanisms worked. 他解释这两台机械装置是如何工作的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

8 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 arroyo   

n.干涸的河床，小河

参考例句：

• She continued along the path until she came to the arroyo.她沿着小路一直走到小河边。
• They had a picnic by the arroyo.他们在干枯的河床边野餐过。

10 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

11 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。

12 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。