2007年VOA标准英语-Possible Coup Plot Investigated in Liberia

By Selah Hennessy
Dakar
19 July 2007

At least two men, including a former army commander, have been arrested in Liberia for allegedly planning "subversive¹ activities against the state."  A government official says there is strong evidence showing that the men have been plotting against the Liberian government, but analysts³ say the threat may be exaggerated. Selah Hennessy reports from VOA's West Africa bureau in Dakar.

Gabriel Williams, Liberia's deputy minister for public affairs, says several individuals are currently being questioned in Monrovia, suspected of involvement in subversive activities.

One of the men known to have been arrested is General Charles Julu, a former army commander who led a 1994 coup⁴ attempt.  He was arrested along with a former colonel, Andrew Dorbor.

Williams says there are video clips of the suspects plotting against Liberia's government.

"On the video clippings that is with the security agency you have these people, perpetrators plotting how they are going to distribute money, how they are going to get arms from whatever sources and how these arms and ammunition⁵ are going to be transported to Liberia to carry out their evil plan," he noted⁶.

He says the men have been meeting in both Liberia and in neighboring Ivory Coast.

"There have been consistent reports that there have been criminals from Liberia who have been going to the Ivory Coast and trying to recruit and to acquire arms and other means to create chaos⁷ here in Liberia," he added.

This is not the first time that Liberia's current government has warned against possible attempts to overthrow⁸ its leadership, but in the past no evidence has been produced or individuals arrested.

Some opposition⁹ politicians have accused the government of using apparent security threats to create instability in the country.

But Alex Vines, an analyst² with London-based Chatham House, says this would have been an unlikely motivation for the recent arrests.

"Certainly the government is wanting to attract investment and business, and making the place sound unstable¹⁰ is not in the interest or policy priority for this current administration from everything I have seen," he explained.

Vines does say that security forces may be overreacting to the current threat.

"The quality of the Liberian law enforcement agencies and intelligence gathering¹¹ is variable, and so I think a cool analysis needs to made on what actual information they do have, what is the quality of it," he added.  "And was this more hot air and a few individuals speculating, or was this a well-executed plot that was dangerous to the Liberian administration."

He adds that it seems unlikely that those who oppose the government have the ability to cause a serious threat.

"I think there are individuals who would like to see organized regime change through unconstitutional means in Liberia, but whether they have the ability to carry it out I have my doubts," he noted.

Liberia's civil war, which lasted over a decade, ended in 2003, leaving the country's economy and infrastructure¹² in ruins.

Current president Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf has waged a war against corruption¹³ and has devoted¹⁴ much her presidency¹⁵ to debt-relief for the country.

1 subversive   

adj.颠覆性的，破坏性的；n.破坏份子，危险份子

参考例句：

• She was seen as a potentially subversive within the party.她被看成党内潜在的颠覆分子。
• The police is investigating subversive group in the student organization.警方正调查学生组织中的搞颠覆阴谋的集团。

2 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

3 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

4 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。

5 ammunition   

n.军火，弹药

参考例句：

• A few of the jeeps had run out of ammunition.几辆吉普车上的弹药已经用光了。
• They have expended all their ammunition.他们把弹药用光。

6 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

7 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

8 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。

9 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

10 unstable   

adj.不稳定的，易变的

参考例句：

• This bookcase is too unstable to hold so many books.这书橱很不结实，装不了这么多书。
• The patient's condition was unstable.那患者的病情不稳定。

11 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

12 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

13 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

14 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

15 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。