2007年VOA标准英语-Maoist Union Stops Distribution of Popular News

By Liam Cochrane
Kathmandu
25 July 2007

A trade union reportedly affiliated¹ to Nepal's Maoist party has disrupted the distribution of newspapers for the seventh consecutive² day. Journalists and media associations say the Maoists are trying to control the media, but the former rebels say the dispute has nothing to do with them. Liam Cochrane reports from Kathmandu.

Around dawn on Wednesday at a printing press just south of Kathmandu, delivery boys belonging to a radical³ trade union tried to forcibly stop printers loading newspapers onto trucks for delivery.

When the trucks finally left under police escort, the workers threw stones at them and threatened the drivers.

It is the seventh day of disruption for the popular English language daily The Himalayan Times and its sister paper The Annapurna Post. 

Editor of The Himalayan Times, Ram⁴ Pradan, says the industrial action is threatening Nepal's media freedom.

"They are kind of playing games, you know. And it also indicates, gives me a clear indication of what I can expect when they actually win the elections and be the elected government… I think they will be tougher," Pradan said.

It is widely assumed that the union, known as the All Nepal Communication, Printing and Publication Workers Union, is linked to the Maoist party.

Its members say they want to be employed directly by the newspapers and not by distribution companies that handle deliveries on behalf of the publications.

Maoist Minister of Information, Krishna Bahadur Mahara

Critics say the Maoists are trying to position their unions to easily disrupt distribution of influential⁵ newspapers.

But Maoist Minister of Information, Krishna Bahadur Mahara, says the dispute is an issue between the workers and management, and not an issue of media freedom. He denies his party is linked to the newspaper delivery union.             

"Our party has no any policy or plan or program to interfere⁶ with any paper or press," Mahara said.

But Nepalese journalists and editors, such as Ram Pradan, are not convinced.

"What the Maoists are saying doesn't make any sense to me," Pradan said.  "I think are not being very truthful⁷. It's their union and I've never believed that these unions do anything without their concurrence⁸ or instructions."

Last month, two other publications faced similar troubles.

The dispute highlights tensions between the Maoists and others in Nepalese society, since the former insurgents⁹ joined an interim¹⁰ government earlier this year at the end of a decade-long civil war.

1 affiliated   

adj. 附属的, 有关连的

参考例句：

• The hospital is affiliated with the local university. 这家医院附属于当地大学。
• All affiliated members can vote. 所有隶属成员都有投票权。

2 consecutive   

adj.连续的，联贯的，始终一贯的

参考例句：

• It has rained for four consecutive days.已连续下了四天雨。
• The policy of our Party is consecutive.我党的政策始终如一。

3 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

4 ram   

(random access memory)随机存取存储器

参考例句：

• 512k RAM is recommended and 640k RAM is preferred.推荐配置为512K内存，640K内存则更佳。

5 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

6 interfere   

v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰

参考例句：

• If we interfere, it may do more harm than good.如果我们干预的话，可能弊多利少。
• When others interfere in the affair,it always makes troubles. 别人一卷入这一事件，棘手的事情就来了。

7 truthful   

adj.真实的，说实话的，诚实的

参考例句：

• You can count on him for a truthful report of the accident.你放心，他会对事故作出如实的报告的。
• I don't think you are being entirely truthful.我认为你并没全讲真话。

8 concurrence   

n.同意；并发

参考例句：

• There is a concurrence of opinion between them.他们的想法一致。
• The concurrence of their disappearances had to be more than coincidental.他们同时失踪肯定不仅仅是巧合。

9 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

10 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。