VOA常速英语2008年-US Imposes New Sanctions on Burma

By David Gollust
State Department
05 February 2008

The United States Tuesday imposed additional sanctions against Burma over the military government's human rights violations¹ and suppression of democracy. The new Treasury² Department action targets family members of Burmese leaders and business figures associated with the Rangoon government. VOA's David Gollust reports from the State Department.

The Bush administration is increasing the financial squeeze on the Burmese leadership, extending sanctions to wives and close business associates of the country's military rulers.

The Treasury Department said it was targeting companies and key individuals of the Htoo Group of Companies, which are controlled by Burmese business tycoon³ Tay Za and which have acquired aircraft and other military hardware for the government.

The Director of Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control Adam Szubin called Tay Za "an arms dealer⁴ and a henchman of Burma's repressive junta⁵." 

Szubin said the Bush administration will continue to take action against the Rangoon government, and those who prop⁶ it up, so long as human rights violations continue and democracy is suppressed.

Tay Za and some 30 other prominent Burmese including military chief Than Shwe are already blacklisted by the Treasury Department. Tuesday's action adds the spouses⁷ of four senior officials including the wife of Foreign Minister Nyan Win.

The designation freezes any assets the individuals and companies may have in U.S. financial institutions and prohibits dealings with them by American persons or firms.

It is unclear whether the newly-listed Burmese have U.S. holdings. But White House Press Secretary Dana Perino said the move in any case further isolates⁹ the Burmese rulers.

"We do know that sanctions can have an impact," she said.  "They help curtail¹⁰ economic activity and can further isolate⁸ the junta, which is part of getting them to recognize that they need to open up and allow the democratically-elected leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, to be able to meet with the leaders that they said that they would allow her to. And it's been a halting progress. They say that they're going to do things that they don't follow up on."

The Burmese leadership has reneged on commitments for political outreach it made in response to international outrage¹¹ over its crackdown on popular protests last September.

It sent an official to meet with detained democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi in October, but otherwise spurned¹² a U.N. Security Council call for the release of all political prisoners and the commencement of a genuine dialogue with the opposition¹³.

Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi has been under detention¹⁴ most of the time since her National League for Democracy Party won national elections in 1990, but was barred from taking power.

A written White House statement Tuesday said the Burmese government continues to keep Aung San Suu Kyi isolated¹⁵, refuses to allow the return of U.N. envoy¹⁶ for Burma Ibrahim Gambari, and continues to hunt down peaceful activists¹⁷.

It accused authorities of planning secret trials for 11 detained pro-democracy figures.

The statement said the United States will continue to do its part to help the people of Burma and said other countries, especially Burma's neighbors, must do the same.

 

1 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

2 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

3 tycoon   

n.有钱有势的企业家，大亨

参考例句：

• The tycoon is on the verge of bankruptcy.那名大亨濒临破产的边缘。
• The tycoon has many servants to minister to his needs.那位大亨有很多人服侍他。

4 dealer   

n.商人，贩子

参考例句：

• The dealer spent hours bargaining for the painting.那个商人为购买那幅画花了几个小时讨价还价。
• The dealer reduced the price for cash down.这家商店对付现金的人减价优惠。

5 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。

6 prop   

vt.支撑；n.支柱，支撑物；支持者，靠山

参考例句：

• A worker put a prop against the wall of the tunnel to keep it from falling.一名工人用东西支撑住隧道壁好使它不会倒塌。
• The government does not intend to prop up declining industries.政府无意扶持不景气的企业。

7 spouses   

n.配偶，夫或妻( spouse的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Jobs are available for spouses on campus and in the community. 校园里和社区里有配偶可做的工作。 来自辞典例句
• An astonishing number of spouses-most particularly in the upper-income brackets-have no close notion of their husbands'paychecks. 相当大一部分妇女——特别在高收入阶层——并不很了解他们丈夫的薪金。 来自辞典例句

8 isolate   

vt.使孤立，隔离

参考例句：

• Do not isolate yourself from others.不要把自己孤立起来。
• We should never isolate ourselves from the masses.我们永远不能脱离群众。

9 isolates   

v.使隔离( isolate的第三人称单数 )；将…剔出（以便看清和单独处理）；使（某物质、细胞等）分离；使离析

参考例句：

• The transformer isolates the transistors with regard to d-c bias voltage. 变压器可在两个晶体管之间隔离直流偏压。 来自辞典例句
• In regions with certain isolates of TRV, spraining is more prominent. 在具有TRV某些分离物的地区，坏死是比较显著的。 来自辞典例句

10 curtail   

vt.截短，缩短；削减

参考例句：

• The government hopes to curtail public spending.政府希望缩减公共事业开支。
• The minister had to curtail his visit.部长不得不缩短访问日期。

11 outrage   

n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒

参考例句：

• When he heard the news he reacted with a sense of outrage.他得悉此事时义愤填膺。
• We should never forget the outrage committed by the Japanese invaders.我们永远都不应该忘记日本侵略者犯下的暴行。

12 spurned   

v.一脚踢开，拒绝接受( spurn的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Eve spurned Mark's invitation. 伊夫一口回绝了马克的邀请。
• With Mrs. Reed, I remember my best was always spurned with scorn. 对里德太太呢，我记得我的最大努力总是遭到唾弃。 来自辞典例句

13 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

14 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。

15 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

16 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。

17 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》