2007年VOA标准英语-Burma Ends 14-Year Process on Drafting New Cons

By Luis Ramirez
Bangkok
03 September 2007

Burma's military-appointed National Convention has concluded a 14-year process on drafting guidelines for a new constitution and a possible return to civilian¹ rule. But as the National Convention held closing ceremonies, security forces continued to round up pro-democracy activists³. VOA Southeast Asia correspondent, Luis Ramirez, reports from Bangkok.

Some 1,000 delegates ended their work to draft guidelines for a new constitution with a closing ceremony at a military base north of Rangoon Monday. No foreign journalists were allowed to attend the event. But witnesses say Acting⁴ Prime Minister Lieutenant⁵ General Thein Sein called the meeting a "victory" for all of Burma's people.

The next step is to write the constitution before it is put to Burmese voters for approval. However, it is not clear who will actually write the document and no timeline has been set for the entire process, which, in principle, is supposed to move one of Southeast Asia's poorest countries to democracy after more than four decades of military rule.

The National Convention, which met intermittently⁶ over 14 years, was appointed by the military government and excluded Burma's main pro-democracy figures - casting doubts about its legitimacy⁷.

Khin Omar is a prominent pro-democracy activist² who took part in the 1988 student protests, ended by an Army crackdown that killed about 3,000 people. Watching events in Burma from exile along the Thai border, she tells VOA she sees Burma's generals are not ready to give up power.

"Honestly, I don't see any hope that this constitution will bring for the people on the ground. This whole constitution is a whole setup for the regime to just legalize their power forever in the national politics," said Omar. "They've been planning to make sure that in the new constitution, they have the military power also guaranteed, as well as their military uniform changed into civilian uniform."

Resumption of the constitutional convention was part of the country's seven-point plan called the 'roadmap to democracy' unveiled by more moderate government elements in 2003.

Ohn Than is arrested by Burmese authorities shortly after staging a solo protest against the military government, outside the U.S. embassy in Rangoon, 23 Aug 2007

The international community has since pressed Burma for faster and more concrete movement for a peaceful political transition, to little avail.

The military continues to suppress dissent⁸. The latest is a crackdown on several weeks of protests against government imposed steep hikes the price of fuel. Monday, a group of demonstrators tried to stage a march from Labutta to Rangoon. Witnesses say security forces stopped the demonstrators after a short distance and arrested several protesters.

International human rights advocates say more than 100 activists have been arrested, some of them severely⁹ beaten and tortured.

The United States has voiced concern about abuses committed by Burmese security forces against pro-democracy activists. President Bush is expected to raise the issue and press Burma's neighbors to do more to stop the abuses when he attends a summit of Asia Pacific leaders in Sydney, Australia this week.

1 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

2 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

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 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

5 lieutenant   

n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员

参考例句：

• He was promoted to be a lieutenant in the army.他被提升为陆军中尉。
• He prevailed on the lieutenant to send in a short note.他说动那个副官，递上了一张简短的便条进去。

6 intermittently   

adv.间歇地；断断续续

参考例句：

• Winston could not intermittently remember why the pain was happening. 温斯顿只能断断续续地记得为什么这么痛。 来自英汉文学
• The resin moves intermittently down and out of the bed. 树脂周期地向下移动和移出床层。 来自辞典例句

7 legitimacy   

n.合法，正当

参考例句：

• The newspaper was directly challenging the government's legitimacy.报纸直接质疑政府的合法性。
• Managing from the top down,we operate with full legitimacy.我们进行由上而下的管理有充分的合法性。

8 dissent   

n./v.不同意，持异议

参考例句：

• It is too late now to make any dissent.现在提出异议太晚了。
• He felt her shoulders gave a wriggle of dissent.他感到她的肩膀因为不同意而动了一下。

9 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。