2007年VOA标准英语-Rights Group Accuses Burma's Generals of Abuses

By Ron Corben
Bangkok
20 February 2007

massacre1 of villagers (File)<br />" hspace="2" src="/upimg/allimg/070522/0911500.jpg" width="210" vspace="2" border="0" />

A Karen boy, 6, allegedly shot in the arm by Burma military, during a massacre of villagers (File)

A U.S. human rights and environmental group accuses Burma's military government of forcing ethnic² Karen out of their homes, to take over valuable mining and logging areas. Ron Corben in Bangkok reports.

EarthRights International's new report says Burma's military demands money, labor³ and goods from villages in the country's northeast, and confiscates⁴ village land to gain access to lucrative⁵ resources.

Chana Muang, EarthRights International director for Southeast Asia, says there are fears that as Burma's military expands its control of resource-rich areas, there will be more rights abuses.

"We are focusing on human rights and the environmental impact that is happening inside Burma, when the business is going on in the ethnic minority areas. And more and more people are suffering from the human rights and the environmental situation," said Chana Muang.

Last year, the government began an offensive against the Karen minority group in the northeast, ending an informal ceasefire with the Karen rebels.

EarthRights accuses the army of hunting down villagers in the mountains, shooting them on sight and destroying their food supplies.

The report supports earlier information by refugee aid organizations of food shortages after the military destroyed farms.

Debbie Stothardt, spokeswoman for rights group the Alternative ASEAN Network on Burma, says the military forced people out for economic reasons.

"These military offensives are calculated not just to oppress, kill, rape⁶, torture amongst the Karen people and other ethnic groups, but also to allow the military regime and their friends to exploit the entire area in terms of their natural resources," she said.

Burma's government is building a dam in the region, and is allowing companies to mine and log the mountains. According to many experts on Burma, the government uses profits from mining and logging concessions⁷ to fund its operations.

The report calls on the government to grant more rights to civilians⁸ over land they occupy, to replace outdated⁹ environmental laws and to strengthen the National Commission for Environmental Affairs.

It also seeks a ban against companies that use ecologically damaging methods to extract resources. EarthRights also says the United Nations should strengthen existing resolutions against Burma.

But Burma's military, in power for the past 40 years, has long resisted international calls for change, and criticism of its human rights policies. The United States, European Union and other countries have imposed economic sanctions on Burma because of its rights abuses and failure to allow democratic reforms.

1 massacre   

n.残杀，大屠杀；v.残杀，集体屠杀

参考例句：

• There was a terrible massacre of villagers here during the war.在战争中，这里的村民惨遭屠杀。
• If we forget the massacre,the massacre will happen again!忘记了大屠杀，大屠杀就有可能再次发生！

2 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

3 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。

4 confiscates   

没收，充公( confiscate的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He'll slip me anything Jerry confiscates from the prisoners. 他会把任何德国佬从囚犯手中没收的违禁品偷偷给我。
• When confiscates the bureaucratic capital, a part of national capitals Confiscation and so on. 在没收官僚资本时，把一部分民族资本没收等。

5 lucrative   

adj.赚钱的，可获利的

参考例句：

• He decided to turn his hobby into a lucrative sideline.他决定把自己的爱好变成赚钱的副业。
• It was not a lucrative profession.那是一个没有多少油水的职业。

6 rape   

n.抢夺，掠夺，强奸；vt.掠夺，抢夺，强奸

参考例句：

• The rape of the countryside had a profound ravage on them.对乡村的掠夺给他们造成严重创伤。
• He was brought to court and charged with rape.他被带到法庭并被指控犯有强奸罪。

7 concessions   

n.（尤指由政府或雇主给予的）特许权( concession的名词复数 )；承认；减价；（在某地的）特许经营权

参考例句：

• The firm will be forced to make concessions if it wants to avoid a strike. 要想避免罢工，公司将不得不作出一些让步。
• The concessions did little to placate the students. 让步根本未能平息学生的愤怒。

8 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

9 outdated   

adj.旧式的，落伍的，过时的；v.使过时

参考例句：

• That list of addresses is outdated,many have changed.那个通讯录已经没用了，许多地址已经改了。
• Many of us conform to the outdated customs laid down by our forebears.我们许多人都遵循祖先立下的过时习俗。