VOA标准英语10月-Protesters Greet Vietnamese Prime Minister in Aus

Human rights protesters have greeted Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on his arrival in Australia. He is in Australia for talks on trade with his counterpart, Kevin Rudd. From Sydney, Phil Mercer reports.

A small but noisy crowd of about 300 human rights demonstrators gathered in Canberra Monday at the start of Nguyen Tan Dung's official visit to Australia.

They demanded that Vietnamese authorities release political prisoners and allow democracy.

The Vietnamese prime minister is in Australia for a two-day visit to mark 35 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

To honor the occasion, Vietnam is granting clemency¹ to two Australians facing execution in Hanoi for drug smuggling².
　

Vietnamese PM Nguyen Tan Dung, left, and Victoria state Premier3 John Brumby in Melbourne, 14 Oct 2008

Trade and human trafficking have been key points of discussion between Mr. Dung and Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.

Concerns about human rights in Vietnam have not been a central feature of this visit, despite the concerns of critics of the Vietnamese government. They say it violates the rights of its citizens and blocks basic freedoms, such as freedom of religion and land ownership.

Melanie Beresford, a regional expert at Sydney's Macquarie University, says Vietnam is pursuing an increasingly liberal political and economic path, which has reduced criticism of its record on human rights.

"My impression is that Australians are not too worried about it. I think there have been huge changes that have taken place in Vietnam over the last decade or so," she said. "You know, most Australians feel quite comfortable with the way Vietnam is progressing on the, sort of, long-term scale of things. It is not a country that is going backwards⁴ into evermore repression⁵ of the population."

However, in Hanoi on Tuesday, two journalists who exposed official corruption⁶ went on trial for allegedly writing inaccurate⁷ stories and what the court calls "abusing freedom and democracy."

Trade between Australia and Vietnam has grown by 20 percent annually⁸ over the past five years and is estimated to reach $8 billion this year.

Australian businesses have invested more than $1 billion in Vietnam and the country is Vietnam's third biggest export market.

1 clemency   

n.温和，仁慈，宽厚

参考例句：

• The question of clemency would rest with the King.宽大处理问题，将由国王决定。
• They addressed to the governor a plea for clemency.他们向州长提交了宽刑的申辨书。

2 smuggling   

n.走私

参考例句：

• Some claimed that the docker's union fronted for the smuggling ring.某些人声称码头工人工会是走私集团的掩护所。
• The evidence pointed to the existence of an international smuggling network.证据表明很可能有一个国际走私网络存在。

3 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。

4 backwards   

adv.往回地，向原处，倒，相反，前后倒置地

参考例句：

• He turned on the light and began to pace backwards and forwards.他打开电灯并开始走来走去。
• All the girls fell over backwards to get the party ready.姑娘们迫不及待地为聚会做准备。

5 repression   

n.镇压，抑制，抑压

参考例句：

• The repression of your true feelings is harmful to your health.压抑你的真实感情有害健康。
• This touched off a new storm against violent repression.这引起了反对暴力镇压的新风暴。

6 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。

7 inaccurate   

adj.错误的，不正确的，不准确的

参考例句：

• The book is both inaccurate and exaggerated.这本书不但不准确，而且夸大其词。
• She never knows the right time because her watch is inaccurate.她从来不知道准确的时间因为她的表不准。

8 annually   

adv.一年一次，每年

参考例句：

• Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
• They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。