VOA标准英语10月-Australia to Investigate Deaths of Rejected Afgha

The Australian government is investigating reports that the Taliban killed up to 20 Afghans who were denied asylum¹ in Australia and sent back to Afghanistan. They allegedly were among 400 asylum seekers denied entry into Australia by the former government. From Sydney, Phil Mercer reports.
　

Afghan refugees show their displeasure against Australian government on their arrival back from the Pacific island of Nauru, at Kabul airport, Afghanistan, 15 Dec 2002

The Australian television network SBS plans to air a documentary next month alleging³ that the Taliban killed as many as 20 of the refugees when they returned to Afghanistan. SBS says dozens more are in hiding to avoid the Islamist militants⁴.

The Australian government wants to investigate the allegation that the 20 were among 400 asylum seekers who were denied entry to the country.

The film's producer has spent six years tracing many of the rejected Afghan asylum seekers.

Hundreds were held on the island of Nauru under the previous government's controversial policy of shipping⁵ illegal migrants off to remote camps.

About 400 Afghans went home after the government of former Prime Minister John Howard rejected their requests for asylum. Refugee advocates say officials told them it was safe to return home and that they risked being held in custody⁶ indefinitely if they refused to go.

One of the architects of the old policy, former Immigration Minister Philip Ruddock, says the returnees were treated properly.

"It was in a creditable process and they voluntarily agreed to leave and if people have lost their lives one doesn't necessarily know that this is because they were particularly targeted because of who they were," he said.

Among the alleged² victims were two girls killed by Taliban extremists. The Australian government turned down their father's asylum application in 2002.

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who won national elections last year, promised to end Australia's long-standing practice of detaining asylum seekers who enter the country illegally.

Each year, Australia accepts more than 10,000 refugees who enter the country legally, and as well as thousands more migrants who enter for work or other reasons. The previous government sought to end a surge of illegal migrants, who often paid smugglers thousands of dollars to sneak⁷ them into the country by boat.

1 asylum   

n.避难所，庇护所，避难

参考例句：

• The people ask for political asylum.人们请求政治避难。
• Having sought asylum in the West for many years,they were eventually granted it.他们最终获得了在西方寻求多年的避难权。

2 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

3 alleging   

断言，宣称，辩解( allege的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• His reputation was blemished by a newspaper article alleging he'd evaded his taxes. 由于报上一篇文章声称他曾逃税，他的名誉受到损害。
• This our Peeress declined as unnecessary, alleging that her cousin Thornhill's recommendation would be sufficient. 那位贵人不肯，还说不必，只要有她老表唐希尔保荐就够了。

4 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

5 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

6 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

7 sneak   

vt.潜行(隐藏,填石缝)；偷偷摸摸做；n.潜行；adj.暗中进行

参考例句：

• He raised his spear and sneak forward.他提起长矛悄悄地前进。
• I saw him sneak away from us.我看见他悄悄地从我们身边走开。