VOA标准英语2008年-Somali Islamist Denies Involvement in Piracy

A factional leader in Somalia's Eritrea-based opposition¹ group is denying allegations by a piracy² specialist in Kenya that he is aiding radical³ Islamists by providing them with weapons bought with money earned from piracy. Yusuf Mohamed Siad, better known by his nickname Inda'ade, says he is not involved in pirate activities and says the country's piracy problem should be blamed on the leader of Puntland, where the vast majority of ships are hijacked⁴. VOA correspondent Alisha Ryu has details from our East Africa Bureau in Nairobi.

Inda'ade, who has rarely been seen since Ethiopian troops ousted⁵ the Islamic Courts Union in late 2006, held a press conference on Monday in the Somali capital Mogadishu to respond to statements made last week by the head of the Mombasa-based Seafarers' Assistance Program.

The factional leader-turned-Islamist denied Andrew Mwangura's allegation that he was profiting from pirate activities in the semi-autonomous region of Puntland and said such statements are aimed at destroying his reputation.

Inda'ade, who Somalis say ran a lucrative⁶ pirate operation from the seaside town on Merca in the Lower Shabelle region in the past, said the country's rampant⁷ piracy problem is the fault of Puntland President Adde Muse⁸, claiming that it is President Muse who is profiting from piracy, not him.

Inda'ade alleged⁹ that the Somali leader was receiving a share of the ransom¹⁰ payments made to pirates and that Mr. Muse was planning to use some of the money to fund his re-election campaign. Puntland is scheduled to hold general elections next January.

VOA was unable to reach President Muse for comment. But his top political advisor¹¹, Abdi Abdul Shakur Mire¹², vehemently¹³ denied that the president was profiting from a wave of piracy this year that has made shipping¹⁴ lanes off the coast of Puntland the most dangerous in the world.

"That is false information. Inda'ade, he does not know about our area. The reality is our president is not involved in that game," he said.

Seafarer's Assistance Program's Andrew Mwangura says his report on Inda'ade's involvement in piracy comes from reliable sources inside various pirate groups and stands by it. Mwangura says those sources and others suggest that Inda'ade's claim about the Puntland leader profiting from piracy may have some truth to it.

Mwangura says the latest incident involves a German couple, freed early last month after being held captive by Somali pirates for more than a month. Mwangura says a ransom of $1 million was paid to the pirate group, but his group received credible¹⁵ information from sources in Kenya that almost half-a-million dollars extra was paid to officials in Puntland.

"Four hundred-thousand went to people linked to Adde Muse, paid in Nairobi and passed through Wilson Airport," he said.

Presidential advisor Abdi Abdul Shakur Mire acknowledged that the Puntland government sometimes joins local elders and regional officials in negotiations¹⁶ with pirates for the release of hostages. But he says he knows nothing about payments being made to the president.

Somali pirates are currently holding at least six vessels¹⁷ and about 130 crew members in Puntland. They are demanding more than $9 million to free two Malaysian tankers¹⁸, a Japanese-managed bulk carrier, and a Nigerian tug¹⁹ boat.

1 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。

2 piracy   

n.海盗行为，剽窃，著作权侵害

参考例句：

• The government has already adopted effective measures against piracy.政府已采取有效措施惩治盗版行为。
• They made the place a notorious centre of piracy.他们把这地方变成了臭名昭著的海盗中心。

3 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

4 hijacked   

劫持( hijack的过去式和过去分词 )； 绑架； 拦路抢劫； 操纵（会议等，以推销自己的意图）

参考例句：

• The plane was hijacked by two armed men on a flight from London to Rome. 飞机在从伦敦飞往罗马途中遭到两名持械男子劫持。
• The plane was hijacked soon after it took off. 那架飞机起飞后不久被劫持了。

5 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。

6 lucrative   

adj.赚钱的，可获利的

参考例句：

• He decided to turn his hobby into a lucrative sideline.他决定把自己的爱好变成赚钱的副业。
• It was not a lucrative profession.那是一个没有多少油水的职业。

7 rampant   

adj.(植物)蔓生的；狂暴的，无约束的

参考例句：

• Sickness was rampant in the area.该地区疾病蔓延。
• You cannot allow children to rampant through the museum.你不能任由小孩子在博物馆里乱跑。

8 muse   

n.缪斯（希腊神话中的女神），创作灵感

参考例句：

• His muse had deserted him,and he could no longer write.他已无灵感，不能再写作了。
• Many of the papers muse on the fate of the President.很多报纸都在揣测总统的命运。

9 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

10 ransom   

n.赎金，赎身；v.赎回，解救

参考例句：

• We'd better arrange the ransom right away.我们最好马上把索取赎金的事安排好。
• The kidnappers exacted a ransom of 10000 from the family.绑架者向这家人家勒索10000英镑的赎金。

11 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

12 mire   

n.泥沼，泥泞；v.使...陷于泥泞，使...陷入困境

参考例句：

• I don't want my son's good name dragged through the mire.我不想使我儿子的名誉扫地。
• He has rescued me from the mire of misery.他把我从苦海里救了出来。

13 vehemently   

adv. 热烈地

参考例句：

• He argued with his wife so vehemently that he talked himself hoarse. 他和妻子争论得很激烈，以致讲话的声音都嘶哑了。
• Both women vehemently deny the charges against them. 两名妇女都激烈地否认了对她们的指控。

14 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。

15 credible   

adj.可信任的，可靠的

参考例句：

• The news report is hardly credible.这则新闻报道令人难以置信。
• Is there a credible alternative to the nuclear deterrent?是否有可以取代核威慑力量的可靠办法？

16 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

17 vessels   

n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人

参考例句：

• The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

18 tankers   

运送大量液体或气体的轮船[卡车]( tanker的名词复数 )； 油轮； 罐车； 油槽车

参考例句：

• They should stop offloading waste from oil tankers into the sea. 他们应当停止从油轮上往海里倾倒废弃物。
• The harbour admits large tankers and freighters. 这个港口容得下巨型油船和货轮。

19 tug   

v.用力拖(或拉)；苦干；n.拖；苦干；拖船

参考例句：

• We need to tug the car round to the front.我们需要把那辆车拉到前面。
• The tug is towing three barges.那只拖船正拖着三只驳船。