VOA标准英语2011--Former Khmer Rouge Deny War Crimes Charg

Former Khmer Rouge¹ Deny War Crimes Charges

The world is watching as citizens in some Middle Eastern countries seek justice against recently toppled leaders of sometimes brutal² governments. In Cambodia, the reign³ of the Maoist Khmer Rouge ended decades ago, but efforts to bring those responsible to justice continue. Three of those facing prosecution⁴ may finally face justice after many years in the Khmer Rouge tribunals.
Ta An is accused of being part of a killing⁵ campaign during the Khmer Rouge's rule in the late 1970s.
But he denied overseeing genocide. He said he was transferred to Kompong Cham province, where some 150,000 died, after the killing took place.
“When I arrived, that was finished already, from the bottom up to the highest levels. I focused on re-organizing new villages and communes. I was not involved in anything at all,” he said.
Court documents prepared by the Khmer Rouge tribunal list his alleged⁶ crimes: forced labor⁷, inhumane living conditions, unlawful arrest and detention⁸, physical and mental abuse, torture and killing.
“At present I am not fearful of the court, and in the future, when I die, I won’t be afraid of Yama [the Buddhist⁹ god of the dead]. Not fearful. I am now doing good deeds. I practice religious art. I did not commit killings¹⁰. But am I afraid of Yama? I am not afraid.”
Im Chaem is accused of being responsible for 40,000 deaths. She said the charges are lies.
“I turn to worry about those who’ve made allegations against me. I don’t know who did this to me. This is a life-and-death issue and involves politics. It is wrong as to what I did and my actions. It is clearly different as the earth and the sky,” she said.
Meas Muth, a former army general, is among those under investigation¹¹ in the United Nations-backed tribunal's third and fourth cases. He also denied being part of a killing campaign, and said the cases are not valid¹².
“The law for the prosecution of Khmer Rouge leaders limits to only the senior leaders and the most responsible leaders. Right now they are already there. If they bring more people, it is beyond the law. And if so, it would cause problems to our society and security,” he said.
Muth’s alleged crimes include sending Khmer Rouge members in his division to death at Tuol Sleng prison, known as S-21, a charge he denied. He does admit, though, to some incidents taking place within his ranks.
“There could be some which happened when the General Staff was called to attend a study. Later the unit was informed that certain individuals were not allowed to go back. The General Staff would then send them to S-21.”
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said he does not want more Khmer Rouge tribunal cases, charging they could destabilize national security. But the tribunal's staff are under international pressure to find justice for the victims many years ago.

1 rouge   

n.胭脂，口红唇膏；v.(在…上)擦口红

参考例句：

• Women put rouge on their cheeks to make their faces pretty.女人往面颊上涂胭脂，使脸更漂亮。
• She didn't need any powder or lip rouge to make her pretty.她天生漂亮，不需要任何脂粉唇膏打扮自己。

2 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

3 reign   

n.统治时期，统治，支配，盛行；v.占优势

参考例句：

• The reign of Queen Elizabeth lapped over into the seventeenth century.伊丽莎白王朝延至17世纪。
• The reign of Zhu Yuanzhang lasted about 31 years.朱元璋统治了大约三十一年。

4 prosecution   

n.起诉，告发，检举，执行，经营

参考例句：

• The Smiths brought a prosecution against the organizers.史密斯家对组织者们提出起诉。
• He attempts to rebut the assertion made by the prosecution witness.他试图反驳原告方证人所作的断言。

5 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

6 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

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 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。

9 Buddhist   

adj./n.佛教的，佛教徒

参考例句：

• The old lady fell down in adoration before Buddhist images.那老太太在佛像面前顶礼膜拜。
• In the eye of the Buddhist,every worldly affair is vain.在佛教徒的眼里，人世上一切事情都是空的。

10 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。

11 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

12 valid   

adj.有确实根据的；有效的；正当的，合法的

参考例句：

• His claim to own the house is valid.他主张对此屋的所有权有效。
• Do you have valid reasons for your absence?你的缺席有正当理由吗？