2007年VOA标准英语-Thailand Orders Arrest of Ousted Prime Minister

By Luis Ramirez
Bangkok
14 August 2007

A judge in Thailand has issued arrest warrants for former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his wife on corruption¹ charges. Mr. Thaksin has been in exile since he was ousted² in a military coup³ nearly a year ago. VOA's Luis Ramirez reports from Bangkok.

Supreme4 court to hear a case against Thailand's ousted premier5 Thaksin Shinawatra and his wife in Bangkok, 14 Aug 2007<br />" hspace="2" src="/upimg/allimg/070817/1501090.jpg" width="210" vspace="2" border="0" />

A panel of judges sit in the Supreme court to hear a case against Thailand's ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra and his wife in Bangkok, 14 Aug 2007

Thailand's military-installed government wants to bring Thaksin Shinawatra and his wife to trial on charges that they used their political influence to gain an unfair advantage in a land deal in 2003.

Mr. Thaksin was ousted last year following months of disruptive protests demanding his resignation for alleged⁶ corruption and abuse of power. The military junta⁷ promised to investigate those allegations, and Tuesday's arrest warrants were one result of the investigations⁸.

At the time of the coup last September, the new leaders also promised a new constitution and a return to democracy within a year. That time is approaching.

Mr. Thaksin still enjoys substantial political support. The military-installed government has recently intensified⁹ its efforts to ensure he does not attempt a comeback, as Thailand prepares to vote on a new constitution August 19, and to hold elections soon thereafter.

Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a political analyst¹⁰ at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University, tells VOA the corruption case that led to the arrest warrants is part of the coup backers' strategy to disgrace Mr. Thaksin.

"This is part of the coup, part of the ouster of Thaksin," said Thitinan. "They have not only ousted him, but are ensuring that he does not make a political comeback because if he does, all these people [who] have undertaken the coup would be in trouble."

It is not clear whether the government will demand Thaksin's extradition¹¹ from Britain, where he has spent most of the time since the coup. Thai government spokesman Yongyuth Mayalarp says the government is ready to do what the court orders, and pledges that the legal process against Thaksin and his wife will be fair.

"It is up to Khun Thaksin and his wife whether to return back to Thailand to face the court case or not. I think the main thing is that the government does not interfere¹² in the legal process in any way, and that is what we have been doing all the way through," he said.

The leadership had earlier warned Mr. Thaksin to stay out of the country until after the elections later this year, saying authorities could not guarantee his safety.

He and his wife deny the corruption charges, and say they cannot get a fair trial under the current leadership. The couple's lawyers asked for the case to be postponed¹³ until next year, after a new elected government is in place.

1 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。

2 ousted   

驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
• He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。

3 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。

4 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

5 premier   

adj.首要的；n.总理，首相

参考例句：

• The Irish Premier is paying an official visit to Britain.爱尔兰总理正在对英国进行正式访问。
• He requested that the premier grant him an internview.他要求那位总理接见他一次。

6 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

7 junta   

n.团体；政务审议会

参考例句：

• The junta reacted violently to the perceived threat to its authority.军政府感到自身权力受威胁而进行了激烈反击。
• A military junta took control of the country.一个军政权控制了国家。

8 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。

9 intensified   

v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Violence intensified during the night. 在夜间暴力活动加剧了。
• The drought has intensified. 旱情加剧了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 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。

11 extradition   

n.引渡（逃犯）

参考例句：

• The smuggler is in prison tonight,awaiting extradition to Britain.这名走私犯今晚在监狱，等待引渡到英国。
• He began to trouble concerning the extradition laws.他开始费尽心思地去想关于引渡法的问题。

12 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。

13 postponed   

vt.& vi.延期，缓办，（使）延迟vt.把…放在次要地位；[语]把…放在后面（或句尾）vi.（疟疾等）延缓发作（或复发）

参考例句：

• The trial was postponed indefinitely. 审讯无限期延迟。
• The game has already been postponed three times. 这场比赛已经三度延期了。