VOA常速英语2007年-Nepal Cabinet Minister Quits to Form New Party

By Liam Cochrane
Kathmandu
10 December 2007

A cabinet minister and three other parliamentarians in Nepal have quit to form a new group that represents the interests of those living in the south. The announcement was made as police raided homes in southern districts, arresting dozens of suspected militants². Liam Cochrane reports from Kathmandu.

Nepal's Minister of Environment, Science and Technology Mahantha Thakur defected from his party today, along with other senior political figures. They say the current leadership of the peace process has failed to address the concerns of the people who live in Nepal's southern districts.

The flatlands, which run alongside Nepal's southern border with India, are known as the Madesh. They are home to almost half of Nepal's population but activists³ say Madeshis have been discriminated⁴ against for decades.

One of the defectors was Sarvendra N. Shukla, the former spokesman for the Rastra Janashakti Party. He said the promises in the interim⁵ constitution for better rights for those in the south have not been enacted⁶ and wants the Madesh to be recognized as a state within a federal system.

"If the state is not formed, the state of the Madesh is not formed as for the geographical⁷ requirement. As for the people's requirement," he continued, "then the same complication will remain and we cannot develop the state, we cannot give the give the rights to our people."

Shukla said there is no name for the new party yet but hoped it would be formally established within two weeks.

There was no immediate⁸ response from the government to the defections and talk of a new party, moves that could further muddy Nepal's peace process. This has remained stalled since elections were called off in October.

Political uncertainty⁹ has led to deteriorating¹⁰ security around the country, and particularly in the south, where militants want greater autonomy for the region.

At least a dozen militant¹ groups have murdered political workers, abducted¹¹ businessmen and caused many to flee their homes.

Shukla said that the government must deal with militants in the same way they have dealt with the former rebel Maoists, or else risk more violence. "If there is sympathy, if there is sensitivity in the government, they should recognize the problem, otherwise right now the unfortunate thing is that the youth of the Madesh is moving there, because a fact has been established that you can get money if you hold a gun," said Shukla.

At least 80 people are estimated to have died in the violence so far this year, which typically receives little attention in the capital of Kathmandu.

However, in the last 10 days police have raided houses in eight southern districts, arresting more than 50 suspects and seizing weapons.

1 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

2 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。

3 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》

4 discriminated   

分别，辨别，区分( discriminate的过去式和过去分词 )； 歧视，有差别地对待

参考例句：

• His great size discriminated him from his followers. 他的宽广身材使他不同于他的部下。
• Should be a person that has second liver virus discriminated against? 一个患有乙肝病毒的人是不是就应该被人歧视？

5 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。

6 enacted   

制定（法律），通过（法案）( enact的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• legislation enacted by parliament 由议会通过的法律
• Outside in the little lobby another scene was begin enacted. 外面的小休息室里又是另一番景象。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

7 geographical   

adj.地理的；地区(性)的

参考例句：

• The current survey will have a wider geographical spread.当前的调查将在更广泛的地域范围內进行。
• These birds have a wide geographical distribution.这些鸟的地理分布很广。

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 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

10 deteriorating   

恶化，变坏( deteriorate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The weather conditions are deteriorating. 天气变得越来越糟。
• I was well aware of the bad morale and the deteriorating factories. 我很清楚，大家情绪低落，各个工厂越搞越坏。

11 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。