VOA标准英语2010年-Tougher Times Ahead for Yemen's Somali

During the past 20 years, hundreds of thousands of refugees have fled from Somalia to Yemen, where they are granted automatic asylum¹. The Yemeni government now says it may change that, saying the Somalis are a burden and a security risk. But new laws may not stem the tide of people crossing the Gulf² of Aden. Heather Murdock reports from Basateen, a sprawling³ slum in southern Yemen that is home to 15,000 refugees.

Heather Murdock | Basateen, Yemen 25 January 2010

Somali refugees gather at an area in the village of Basateen near the Yemeni port city of Aden (File)

For many Somali refugees, making the harrowing trip to Yemen is simply an effort to stay alive.

This man says he fled his country to escape al-Shabab, the growing al-Qaida-linked militia⁴ in Somalia.  The man, who does not want his name used, was a journalist in Mogadishu six months ago, but after three of his colleagues were killed and he received a death threat, he fled.

Refugees like him come to Yemen packed on tiny fishing boats and are often dumped in the water far off shore. Those who can swim help those who cannot try to make it to land, sometimes while the Yemeni army fires at the smugglers. Many die on the way.

Somali asylum seekers rest on side of main road after an exhausting trip upon arrival on the beach of Hasn Beleid village, east of Red Sea port of Aden (file photo)

Survivors⁵ face discrimination and crushing poverty in Yemen.  Almost half of the people in this arid⁶ Arabian country live on less than $2 a day.  Jobs are scarce and when refugees do find work, it is usually menial labor⁷.   Many Somalis say life was much easier at home, but at least in Yemen, they do not have to worry about getting shot.

Life may soon become even harder for those seeking refuge in Yemen.  In the coming weeks, the government will be reconsidering a policy that offers asylum to all Somalis.  Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Muthana Hassan says this is because the government believes most Somalis who come to Yemen are not fleeing war or persecution⁸, but looking for jobs.

"Most of them are not to be considered under the asylum criteria⁹.  So that is why we think we need to reconsider the issue, in order not to, first of all, encourage people to come here," he said.

Hassan says refugees may also threaten Yemen's security in the future.  Al-Shabab has promised to send fighters to re-enforce al-Qaida in its fight against West, and militants¹⁰ could cross the Gulf disguised as refugees.

But a spokesman for the U.N. High Commissioner¹¹ for Refugees in Sana'a, Andrew Knight¹², says militants have not been known to use refugees or refugee boats to enter Yemen.

"Of course we've got a huge coastline that is not very secure, so of course this is an issue. However, until today we have absolutely no evidence of any link between refugees and terrorists," said Knight.

Ethiopian refugee and human rights activist¹³ Abiy Abebe says if Somalis are required to prove they are refugees, and not economic migrants, they will face the same harsh treatment as others fleeing war, drought, and political turmoil¹⁴ in the Horn of Africa.

Abede says Ethiopians and Eritreans who land on Yemeni shores are often arrested and deported¹⁵ without a chance to present evidence of persecution in their home countries.

And the Yemeni government, which is signatory to international treaties that obligate it to house refugees, does not appear to be embarrassed by the deportations.  Officials openly complain they believe refugees import disease, crime, and poverty.

But according to the UNHCR's Knight, those claims are the common refrains of governments struggling to care for large incoming refugee populations, and amount to little more than what he calls "uninformed xenophobia."

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 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

3 sprawling   

adj.蔓生的，不规则地伸展的v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的现在分词 )；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着）

参考例句：

• He was sprawling in an armchair in front of the TV. 他伸开手脚坐在电视机前的一张扶手椅上。
• a modern sprawling town 一座杂乱无序拓展的现代城镇

4 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

5 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

6 arid   

adj.干旱的；(土地)贫瘠的

参考例句：

• These trees will shield off arid winds and protect the fields.这些树能挡住旱风,保护农田。
• There are serious problems of land degradation in some arid zones.在一些干旱地带存在严重的土地退化问题。

7 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

8 persecution   

n. 迫害,烦扰

参考例句：

• He had fled from France at the time of the persecution. 他在大迫害时期逃离了法国。
• Their persecution only serves to arouse the opposition of the people. 他们的迫害只激起人民对他们的反抗。

9 criteria   

n.标准

参考例句：

• The main criterion is value for money.主要的标准是钱要用得划算。
• There are strict criteria for inclusion in the competition.参赛的标准很严格。

10 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。

11 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

12 knight   

n.骑士，武士；爵士

参考例句：

• He was made an honourary knight.他被授予荣誉爵士称号。
• A knight rode on his richly caparisoned steed.一个骑士骑在装饰华丽的马上。

13 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

14 turmoil   

n.骚乱，混乱，动乱

参考例句：

• His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
• The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。

15 deported   

v.将…驱逐出境( deport的过去式和过去分词 )；举止

参考例句：

• They stripped me of my citizenship and deported me. 他们剥夺我的公民资格，将我驱逐出境。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The convicts were deported to a deserted island. 罪犯们被流放到一个荒岛。 来自《简明英汉词典》