VOA标准英语2010年-Challenges Ahead as Australia Seeks Cl

Australia is boosting its military ties with Indonesia, its giant northern neighbor. Regional political analysts¹ say that while the diplomatic relationship is flourishing, there are concerns that citizens from both countries still view each other with suspicion.

Australia's relationship with Indonesia has been rocky at times. In recent years, the core problem was Australia's support for East Timor, which voted to secede² from Indonesia more than a decade ago.

The ties between Australia and Indonesia, however, improved rapidly after the bombings on the Indonesian island of Bali in October 2002, which killed more than 200 people, including 88 Australians. The two nations worked closely together in the aftermath.

Ties that bind³, despite suspicion

Edward Aspinall, an Indonesia specialist at the Australian National University in Canberra, says ties have endured testing times over the years.

"One way of looking at it is the strength, is that it is a relationship which has survived a great number of ups and downs. So, it is a relationship with a considerable degree of resilience and a certain degree of closeness, despite the many differences between the two countries, so it is a fairly robust⁴ relationship," said Aspinall.

While deeper understanding now exists at diplomatic levels, Fergus Hanson, a research fellow at the Lowy Institute in Sydney, said the people of both countries still view each other with mistrust.

"There is an entrenched⁵ perception at the individual level, well, from an Australian perspective, that Indonesia is a backward country," said Hanson. "Perhaps there is an element of feeling threatened by Indonesia, and I think that those feelings run both ways, that Indonesians also feel somewhat threatened by Australia, and there is a bit of suspicion about Australia's motives⁶. So, on both sides there are these entrenched positions. There is not very good or positive feelings toward each other."

Economic, security issues

Such antipathy⁷ has affected⁸ commercial endeavors. Australia does more trade with New Zealand than it does with its much larger northern neighbor. Business people often complain that cultural and administrative⁹ obstacles hinder opportunities in Indonesia.

Aspinall said those barriers need to be overcome if Australia is to take advantage of Asia's soaring economies.

"Australia's economic future, social and cultural future, as well, lie in greater integration¹⁰ into the greater Asian region - and for many reasons Indonesia is very much Australia's key to that region. Closer relations with Indonesia helps Australia's economic integration, it helps Australian diplomacy¹¹ in the region and plus, there are many security and other concerns which are very significant for Australia," Aspinall said. "But for Indonesia, Australia is arguably really not quite significant."

One area that is of importance to Jakarta is security. Both nations have worked closely to confront the threat of Islamic extremism across the Indonesian archipelago, which is home to more than 220 million people.

Last month, Australian Special Forces held joint¹² operations in Bali with Kopassus, Indonesia's elite¹³ military unit, which has been accused of widespread human rights abuses over the years.

Major General Tim McOwan, an Australian Special Forces commander, said he thinks the Indonesians have changed their ways.

"In my experience, Kopassus are working assiduously to redress¹⁴ some of their past transgressions," he said.

Military cooperation

The United States military also plans to train with Kopassus, although Sophie Richardson, a spokeswoman for Human Rights Watch, said the Indonesian unit remains¹⁵ tainted¹⁶ by past abuses.

"Very few people from Kopassus have been investigated, prosecuted¹⁷, convicted and served appropriate sentences for serious crimes," she said.

Hanson at the Lowy Institute said Australia must enhance its relationship with Kopassus, despite questions about its past, because the unit is integral to the security of Indonesia.

"There is a history of cooperation with Kopassus. It broke down in the aftermath of the East Timor intervention¹⁸ where there were allegations against Indonesian troops and their involvement in the killings¹⁹ in East Timor, but that cooperation has resumed because, I think, Kopassus really is the organization that Australia will have to turn to if there is a major terrorist event in Indonesia," said Hanson.

Australia also seeks Jakarta's backing for its plan to build a refugee transit²⁰ center in East Timor.

Relations also may be tested in the months ahead as the scheduled executions draw closer of three Australians convicted of trafficking heroin²¹ into Indonesia.
 

1 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

2 secede   

v.退出，脱离

参考例句：

• They plotted to make the whole Mississippi Valley secede from the United States.他们阴谋策划使整个密西西比流域脱离美国。
• We won't allow Tibet to secede from China and become an independent nation.我们决不允许西藏脱离中国独立。

3 bind   

vt.捆，包扎；装订；约束；使凝固；vi.变硬

参考例句：

• I will let the waiter bind up the parcel for you.我让服务生帮你把包裹包起来。
• He wants a shirt that does not bind him.他要一件不使他觉得过紧的衬衫。

4 robust   

adj.强壮的，强健的，粗野的，需要体力的，浓的

参考例句：

• She is too tall and robust.她个子太高，身体太壮。
• China wants to keep growth robust to reduce poverty and avoid job losses,AP commented.美联社评论道，中国希望保持经济强势增长，以减少贫困和失业状况。

5 entrenched   

adj.确立的，不容易改的(风俗习惯)

参考例句：

• Television seems to be firmly entrenched as the number one medium for national advertising.电视看来要在全国广告媒介中牢固地占据头等位置。
• If the enemy dares to attack us in these entrenched positions,we will make short work of them.如果敌人胆敢进攻我们固守的阵地，我们就消灭他们。

6 motives   

n.动机，目的( motive的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• to impeach sb's motives 怀疑某人的动机
• His motives are unclear. 他的用意不明。

7 antipathy   

n.憎恶；反感，引起反感的人或事物

参考例句：

• I feel an antipathy against their behaviour.我对他们的行为很反感。
• Some people have an antipathy to cats.有的人讨厌猫。

8 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

9 administrative   

adj.行政的，管理的

参考例句：

• The administrative burden must be lifted from local government.必须解除地方政府的行政负担。
• He regarded all these administrative details as beneath his notice.他认为行政管理上的这些琐事都不值一顾。

10 integration   

n.一体化，联合，结合

参考例句：

• We are working to bring about closer political integration in the EU.我们正在努力实现欧盟內部更加紧密的政治一体化。
• This was the greatest event in the annals of European integration.这是欧洲统一史上最重大的事件。

11 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

12 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

13 elite   

n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的

参考例句：

• The power elite inside the government is controlling foreign policy.政府内部的一群握有实权的精英控制着对外政策。
• We have a political elite in this country.我们国家有一群政治精英。

14 redress   

n.赔偿，救济，矫正；v.纠正，匡正，革除

参考例句：

• He did all that he possibly could to redress the wrongs.他尽了一切努力革除弊端。
• Any man deserves redress if he has been injured unfairly.任何人若蒙受不公平的损害都应获得赔偿。

15 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。

16 tainted   

adj.腐坏的；污染的；沾污的；感染的v.使变质( taint的过去式和过去分词 )；使污染；败坏；被污染，腐坏，败坏

参考例句：

• The administration was tainted with scandal. 丑闻使得政府声名狼藉。
• He was considered tainted by association with the corrupt regime. 他因与腐败政府有牵连而名誉受损。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 prosecuted   

a.被起诉的

参考例句：

• The editors are being prosecuted for obscenity. 编辑因刊载污秽文字而被起诉。
• The company was prosecuted for breaching the Health and Safety Act. 这家公司被控违反《卫生安全条例》。

18 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。

19 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

20 transit   

n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过

参考例句：

• His luggage was lost in transit.他的行李在运送中丢失。
• The canal can transit a total of 50 ships daily.这条运河每天能通过50条船。

21 heroin   

n.海洛因

参考例句：

• Customs have made their biggest ever seizure of heroin.海关查获了有史以来最大的一批海洛因。
• Heroin has been smuggled out by sea.海洛因已从海上偷运出境。