VOA标准英语2010年-India's Maoist Rebels Offer Ceasefire,

Indian Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) soldiers carry the body of a colleague at Bhimrao hospital in Raipur (file photo – 30 Jun 2010)

In India, Maoist guerrillas say they are prepared for a three month ceasefire and a dialogue with the government. But it is uncertain if the government will accept the offer.

The offer of a truce¹ and talks with the government came from a top leader of the Maoist guerrillas, Koteshwar Rao.

Rao wants the government to declare a simultaneous truce. He laid down his terms in an audio tape distributed to domestic news channels Tuesday night.

Ready to negotiate

The Maoist leader Rao says they will never agree to suspend hostilities² unilaterally. He says both sides must stop hostilities on the same day and at the same time.

He says the rebels are ready to come to the negotiating table if there is a genuine initiative from the government. He also proposed the name of possible mediators.

However, the government has always insisted that the rebels give up violence for 72 hours before it would ask security forces to suspend operations against them. The government has launched a major operation to root out the rebels in several states where they are entrenched³.

The Maoist leader says he is making the offer in response to appeals by both the Prime Minister and the President on the occasion of the country's Independence Day on August 15.

Prime minister’s appeal

In his Independence Day speech to the nation on Sunday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the government is determined⁴ to tackle the threat posed by Maoist rebels. 

At the same time the Indian leader also appealed to the rebels to abandon violence, come forward for a dialogue with the government, and help accelerate the country's social and economic development.

Maoists justify⁵ cause

Rebel violence has surged this year, with the Maoists mounting daring attacks on security forces and other targets. Hundreds have been killed.

The Maoist guerrillas say they are fighting for the rights of the poor and the landless. In recent years they have spread their influence across a wide swathe of eastern and central India, which are some of the country's poorest and most underdeveloped regions.
 

1 truce   

n.休战，(争执，烦恼等的)缓和；v.以停战结束

参考例句：

• The hot weather gave the old man a truce from rheumatism.热天使这位老人暂时免受风湿病之苦。
• She had thought of flying out to breathe the fresh air in an interval of truce.她想跑出去呼吸一下休战期间的新鲜空气。

2 hostilities   

n.战争；敌意(hostility的复数)；敌对状态；战事

参考例句：

• Mexico called for an immediate cessation of hostilities. 墨西哥要求立即停止敌对行动。
• All the old hostilities resurfaced when they met again. 他们再次碰面时，过去的种种敌意又都冒了出来。

3 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。

4 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

5 justify   

vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护

参考例句：

• He tried to justify his absence with lame excuses.他想用站不住脚的借口为自己的缺席辩解。
• Can you justify your rude behavior to me?你能向我证明你的粗野行为是有道理的吗？