VOA标准英语2010年-Burmese Ethnic Group Says Villages Fac

Ethnic¹ Karen minority children play soccer on a muddy field at their refugee camp along the Thai-Burma border near Mae Sot, Thailand, 29 Jun 2010

Burma's ethnic Karen communities and rights groups are reporting stepped up attacks by Burma's military on villages in eastern Karen state, including the torching of homes forcing hundreds to flee into the jungles. Rights groups fear the attacks may be the start of a campaign ahead of national elections later this year.

Reports by the ethnic Karen National Union say attacks by the Burmese military started in early July in the northern Karen state of that borders Thailand. The military forces later torched the villages forcing more than 900 people to flee into the nearby jungles.

Zipporah Sein, general-secretary of the Karen National Union, fears the attacks are part of a new campaign of intimidation² by the military ahead of national elections scheduled for later this year.

 

"Because the election is closer we realize that there is increased military offensive because now not only [is the military] in Da Der village [it is] in some other areas [as well] they send more troops that villages that they went through they destroy the villages," Zipporah said.

On July 23, troops destroyed property leaving 600 people displaced. Karen communities also reported a build up of both military and pro-government militia³ forces near the Thai border town of Mae Sot.

Analysts⁴ say the attacks may be part of the military's plans to clear the area of local communities ahead of construction of a hydro-electric power plant.

Debbie Stothardt, spokesperson for the Alternative ASEAN Network, says the army's campaign marks an escalation⁵ of abuses that has already led to the displacement⁶ of over 118,000 people in eastern Burma in the past 18 months.

"These attacks have been on-going for quite some time and the sudden escalation at a time when the regime is claiming that they're going to have democracy and elections and everything is going to be better is very disturbing," said Stothardt. "It's telling us the regime might be trying to use any good will over the elections as a smokescreen."

Burma's military is yet to announce when the exact date for the elections although analysts expect the vote, the first in 20 years, to be around October or November this year.

But the military government is set to maintain tight control over the vote amid calls by Burmese political activists⁷ for the international community to boycott⁸ the election result.

At the recently held leaders' summit of the Association of South East Asian Nations, or ASEAN, Burma's government faced ongoing⁹ pressure from regional governments to ensure the planned elections were credible¹⁰. It also faced calls for the release of opposition¹¹ leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, from house detention¹².

Aung San Suu Kyi's opposition National League for Democracy or NLD is now disbanded after it refused to participate in the elections. The NLD won elections in 1990 by a landslide¹³, but the military refused to recognize the result, instead undertook a campaign of harassment¹⁴ and arrest of opposition politicians.

 

1 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

2 intimidation   

n.恐吓，威胁

参考例句：

• The Opposition alleged voter intimidation by the army.反对党声称投票者受到军方的恐吓。
• The gang silenced witnesses by intimidation.恶帮用恐吓的手段使得证人不敢说话。

3 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。

4 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。

5 escalation   

n.扩大，增加

参考例句：

• The threat of nuclear escalation remains. 核升级的威胁仍旧存在。 来自辞典例句
• Escalation is thus an aspect of deterrence and of crisis management. 因此逐步升级是威慑和危机处理的一个方面。 来自辞典例句

6 displacement   

n.移置，取代，位移，排水量

参考例句：

• They said that time is the feeling of spatial displacement.他们说时间是空间位移的感觉。
• The displacement of all my energy into caring for the baby.我所有精力都放在了照顾宝宝上。

7 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》

8 boycott   

n./v.(联合)抵制，拒绝参与

参考例句：

• We put the production under a boycott.我们联合抵制该商品。
• The boycott lasts a year until the Victoria board permitsreturn.这个抗争持续了一年直到维多利亚教育局妥协为止。

9 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

10 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？

11 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。

12 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。

13 landslide   

n.(竞选中)压倒多数的选票；一面倒的胜利

参考例句：

• Our candidate is predicated to win by a landslide.我们的候选人被预言将以绝对优势取胜。
• An electoral landslide put the Labour Party into power in 1945.1945年工党以压倒多数的胜利当选执政。

14 harassment   

n.骚扰，扰乱，烦恼，烦乱

参考例句：

• She often got telephone harassment at night these days.这些天她经常在夜晚受到电话骚扰。
• The company prohibits any form of harassment.公司禁止任何形式的骚扰行为。