VOA标准英语2009-Thai-Cambodia Dispute Raises Nationalist Sen

By Ron Corben
Bangkok
16 November 2009

 
Thailand's former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, during meeting at Hun Sen's residence in Takhmua, Kandal province, 11 Nov 2009 
The dispute between Thailand and Cambodia over a visit to Phnom Penh by Thailand's former prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, is drawing Thais to the streets. The visit has prompted an anti-Thaksin rally in Bangkok, and there are expectations of more protests.

A crowd of around 15,000 people listens to nationalist songs and speeches attacking former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

They gathered in a Bangkok park Sunday to protest Mr. Thaksin's arrival in Cambodia last week, and Phnom Penh's rejection¹ of Bangkok's request to extradite him.

Mr. Thaksin fled Thailand last year to avoid a two-year prison sentence on corruption² charges. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, who has appointed Mr. Thaksin as his economic adviser³, calls the charges politically motivated.

Dispute worsens
 
The issue has worsened a dispute over an ancient temple just on the Cambodian side of the border, and is raising nationalist feeling in Bangkok.

Sondhi Limthongkul, leader of the anti-Thaksin People's Alliance for Democracy, says Sunday's rally supported the Thai government's diplomatic efforts to ease the tensions.
 
"It's something all the Thais who love our King want to come out and show the support to the government in responding to Mr. Hun Sen's and Mr. Thaksin's collaboration⁴ to sabotage⁵ Thailand," Sondhi said. "So all of us are coming out in real support and show our spiritual support peacefully."
 
A short time after Sondhi gave this interview, a small explosive went off near the stage as he was speaking, injuring several people. News reports say one man was arrested in connection with the blast.

Patriotism⁶ is motivator
 
 
Protestor, Nat Yontarak, at  Rally Bangkok, 15 Nov 2009
Nat Yontarak, a musician and teacher, says patriotism brought people to the rally, where paper flags were abundant.
 
"People feel we need to show the power that we really love the country and the dignity and our pride of our country because what Thaksin has been doing is really unacceptable," Nat said. "This time with Cambodia, with Hun Sen it's too much, it's really ridiculous."

This woman, who gave her name as Suchada, calls Mr. Thaksin disloyal for going to Cambodia.
 
"This situation, yes [Thaksin] come to Cambodia," Suchada said. "I think he's not a Thai. But the story is he to destroy the Thailand. He don't love the Thailand, he's not a Thai."
 
Some demonstrators said they attended because they were angry at comments about the monarchy⁷ that Mr. Thaksin made in a British newspaper interview. The monarchy is the country's most beloved institution and little criticism of it is tolerated.

Will dispute lead to military conflict?

The dispute has raised concerns in Southeast Asia, and there are fears that it could end in military conflict. The two sides have exchanged gunfire near the disputed temple on a few occasions in the past year.

Officials in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, of which Cambodia and Thailand are both members, have urged them to settle the dispute quickly. And Indonesia has offered to mediate⁸.

Recent political polls show a surge in popularity for Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's government because of Mr. Thaksin's visit to Cambodia.

Long term effects unclear
 
 
Sign critical of former leader, Thaksin Shinawatra's visit to Cambodia, 15 Nov 2009
But Chris Baker⁹, an author and commentator¹⁰ on Thai politics, says the long-term effect of the visit is less clear. Mr. Thaksin, ousted¹¹ in a coup¹² in 2006, maintains strong support among the urban and rural poor and working class. The urban middle class accuses Mr. Thaksin of corruption and authoritarianism¹³.
 
"Superficially, it looks as if Thaksin has lost badly to identify yourself with a rather unpopular neighbor, it's not good," Baker said. "So I think things have hardened against him. But I'm not really sure whether for many of his core supporters that may not matter too much at all. Perhaps by making himself so visible in the media for several days at a time he's actually revived his position a little bit."

Baker says the question is now whether Mr. Abhisit's Democrat¹⁴ Party will try to press the political advantage by spurring nationalist sentiment.
 
"The issue is now how does he [Abhisit] sustain that [advantage] or does he want to sustain that? Does it mean that this government now has to play this nationalist card very hard and very constanstly and that of course would be very dangerous," Baker said.
 
But Baker says he expects the cross-border dispute to ease "quite quickly" and that the Democrat Party will "lapse¹⁵ back" into trying to work with its neighbor to resolve the temple dispute.
 
However, in Thailand, political analysts¹⁶ warn that domestic divisions could worsen in the weeks ahead as Mr. Thaksin's supporters hold rallies.

Over the past two years, massive rallies of Mr. Thaksin's supporters and opponents have at times paralyzed Bangkok. In April, pro-Thaksin rallies turned violent and a year ago, anti-Thaksin forces closed the country's main international airport for a week, stranding¹⁷ tens of thousands of travellers at the start of the peak tourism season.

1 rejection   

n.拒绝，被拒，抛弃，被弃

参考例句：

• He decided not to approach her for fear of rejection.他因怕遭拒绝决定不再去找她。
• The rejection plunged her into the dark depths of despair.遭到拒绝使她陷入了绝望的深渊。

2 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

3 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

4 collaboration   

n.合作，协作；勾结

参考例句：

• The two companies are working in close collaboration each other.这两家公司密切合作。
• He was shot for collaboration with the enemy.他因通敌而被枪毙了。

5 sabotage   

n.怠工，破坏活动，破坏；v.从事破坏活动，妨害，破坏

参考例句：

• They tried to sabotage my birthday party.他们企图破坏我的生日晚会。
• The fire at the factory was caused by sabotage.那家工厂的火灾是有人蓄意破坏引起的。

6 patriotism   

n.爱国精神，爱国心，爱国主义

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• They obtained money under the false pretenses of patriotism.他们以虚伪的爱国主义为借口获得金钱。

7 monarchy   

n.君主，最高统治者；君主政体，君主国

参考例句：

• The monarchy in England plays an important role in British culture.英格兰的君主政体在英国文化中起重要作用。
• The power of the monarchy in Britain today is more symbolical than real.今日英国君主的权力多为象徵性的，无甚实际意义。

8 mediate   

vi.调解，斡旋；vt.经调解解决；经斡旋促成

参考例句：

• The state must mediate the struggle for water resources.政府必须通过调解来解决对水资源的争夺。
• They may be able to mediate between parties with different interests.他们也许能在不同利益政党之间进行斡旋。

9 baker   

n.面包师

参考例句：

• The baker bakes his bread in the bakery.面包师在面包房内烤面包。
• The baker frosted the cake with a mixture of sugar and whites of eggs.面包师在蛋糕上撒了一层白糖和蛋清的混合料。

10 commentator   

n.注释者，解说者；实况广播评论员

参考例句：

• He is a good commentator because he can get across the game.他能简单地解说这场比赛，是个好的解说者。
• The commentator made a big mistake during the live broadcast.在直播节目中评论员犯了个大错误。

11 ousted   

驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
• He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。

12 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

13 authoritarianism   

权力主义，独裁主义

参考例句：

• Modern authoritarianism is a vestige of traditional personal rule. 现代独裁主义则是传统的个人统治的残余。
• In its latter days it was a byword for authoritarianism, incompetence, and corruption. 在后期，它是独裁、无能和腐化的代号。

14 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

15 lapse   

n.过失，流逝，失效，抛弃信仰，间隔；vi.堕落，停止，失效，流逝；vt.使失效

参考例句：

• The incident was being seen as a serious security lapse.这一事故被看作是一次严重的安全疏忽。
• I had a lapse of memory.我记错了。

16 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。

17 stranding   

n.（船只）搁浅v.使滞留，使搁浅( strand的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The airport had to be closed, stranding tourists. 机场被迫关闭，造成游客滞留。 来自辞典例句
• The stream of history had changed course away from him, stranding him in failure. 历史潮流已经改变方向，与他背道而驰，使他陷于失败之中。 来自辞典例句