voa标准英语2008-Protests Delay New Thai Government's Policy Stat

Thailand's new prime minister has been forced to delay his policy statement.
　

PM Abhisit Vejjajiva' government is seen as invalid1 by supporters of former PM Thaksin (file photo)

Up to 9,000 anti-government protesters besieged² the main thoroughfares to the Thai Parliament Monday. They prevented Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva from delivering his maiden³ policy statement. The government tried to persuade the protesters to let the speech go ahead, which would allow the new government to begin work.
　

Thai demonstrators chant slogans during a protest outside Parliament in Bangkok, 29 Dec 2008

The government negotiated with the protesters to end the blockade. But Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said political leaders could not agree with their demand that members of parliament walk through the crowd to reach the chamber⁴.

"We are concerned about the safety of the members of Parliament and also the safety of the people," he said.

Instead, the prime minister will try to give the speech Tuesday.

Mr. Abhisit formed a government two weeks ago after politicians allied⁵ with former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra defected to his coalition

A member of Mr. Abhisit's Democrat⁶ Party, Sirichok Sopha, said the government will not use force against the protesters.

"We will have to negotiate. There is nothing else we can do because we don't use violence and we want to open a dialogue with them and we want to negotiate. We will wait - we have time so that's no problem," he said.

In October, as many as 400 people were injured when policed tried to break up a blockade of the parliament.
　

Ousted7 in a coup8 and found guilty of corruption10, Thaksin Shinawatra now lives in exile (file photo)

For most of this year, protests nearly paralyzed two previous governments, which were tied to former Prime Minister Thaksin. Now, his supporters, known as Red Shirts, contend that Mr. Abhisit's government is invalid and want new elections.

Jakrapob Penkair, a spokesman for the pro-Thaksin group, said the rally will continue for several days.

"The message is we don't want the Abhisit government completely installed. The Red Shirt rally is meant to convey a direct message to him that we see him as an illegitimate government has been formed from factions¹¹ and defections - that is not the way you form a majority government," he said.

Mr. Thaksin was ousted in a coup two years ago, and lives overseas after being found guilty of corruption in Thailand. He remains¹² very popular among Thailand's poor and rural residents, but the middle class and wealthy consider him corrupt⁹ and authoritarian¹³.

In his policy address, Mr. Abhisit is expected to press for national unity¹⁴ and to set out an economic stimulus¹⁵ program worth almost $9 billion.

The economy has been hard hit by Thailand's political divisions as well as the global financial crisis. A blockade of Bangkok's airports a month ago has badly damaged the country's large tourism industry.

1 invalid   

n.病人，伤残人；adj.有病的，伤残的；无效的

参考例句：

• He will visit an invalid.他将要去看望一个病人。
• A passport that is out of date is invalid.护照过期是无效的。

2 besieged   

包围，围困，围攻( besiege的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Paris was besieged for four months and forced to surrender. 巴黎被围困了四个月后被迫投降。
• The community besieged the newspaper with letters about its recent editorial. 公众纷纷来信对报社新近发表的社论提出诘问，弄得报社应接不暇。

3 maiden   

n.少女，处女；adj.未婚的，纯洁的，无经验的

参考例句：

• The prince fell in love with a fair young maiden.王子爱上了一位年轻美丽的少女。
• The aircraft makes its maiden flight tomorrow.这架飞机明天首航。

4 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

5 allied   

adj.协约国的；同盟国的

参考例句：

• Britain was allied with the United States many times in history.历史上英国曾多次与美国结盟。
• Allied forces sustained heavy losses in the first few weeks of the campaign.同盟国在最初几周内遭受了巨大的损失。

6 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

7 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。

8 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。

9 corrupt   

v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的

参考例句：

• The newspaper alleged the mayor's corrupt practices.那家报纸断言市长有舞弊行为。
• This judge is corrupt.这个法官贪污。

10 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。

11 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别

12 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

13 authoritarian   

n./adj.专制(的)，专制主义者，独裁主义者

参考例句：

• Foreign diplomats suspect him of authoritarian tendencies.各国外交官怀疑他有着独裁主义倾向。
• The authoritarian policy wasn't proved to be a success.独裁主义的政策证明并不成功。

14 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

15 stimulus   

n.刺激，刺激物，促进因素，引起兴奋的事物

参考例句：

• Regard each failure as a stimulus to further efforts.把每次失利看成对进一步努力的激励。
• Light is a stimulus to growth in plants.光是促进植物生长的一个因素。