英国卫报:绑架为何成了一门生意(9)

In September 2011, a dramatic case tested the resolve of the British authorities’ no-concession policy,

2011年9月，一个戏剧性的案件检验了英国当局不让步政策的决心，

when a British couple, Judith (“Jude”) and David Tebbutt, were attacked by Somali pirates while vacationing in Kenya.

当时，一对英国夫妇，朱迪丝(裘德)和大卫·特巴特在肯尼亚度假时，遭到索马里海盗的袭击。

Their son Ollie, a 25-year-old furniture designer, was at a job site in Glasgow when a colleague came to tell him that the police wanted to see him.

他们25岁的儿子奥利是一名家具设计师，当时他正在格拉斯哥的一处工地工作，一位同事过来告诉他，警察要见他。

“Because my parents were on holiday, I assumed something bad had happened, like maybe a car crash,” Tebbutt recalled.

“因为我的父母在度假，所以我以为发生了什么不好的事情，比如车祸，”特巴特回忆说。

After a week-long safari¹, his parents had booked a stay in a secluded² resort called the Kiwayu Safari Village on the Kenyan coast.

在为期一周的狩猎远征之后，他的父母预订了一个位于肯尼亚海岸的僻静度假胜地，基瓦尤游猎村。

One night, Somali kidnappers³ raided the property and abducted⁴ his mother.

一天晚上，索马里的绑架者突袭了房子，绑架了他的母亲。

His father David was killed trying to resist.

他的父亲大卫在试图反抗时被杀。

For weeks after being given the news, Ollie was in close contact with the Foreign Office.

在得知这一消息后的几个星期里，奥利一直与外交部保持密切联系。

He was also visited by representatives from SO15, the counterterrorism command of the British Metropolitan⁵ police,

英国大都会警察反恐司令部的代表也拜访了他，

who were investigating the possible involvement of members of al-Shabaab in the abduction.

他们正在调查青年党成员是否可能参与了该绑架事件。

Eventually, Ollie was able to arrange a proof-of-life telephone call with his mother.

最后，奥利和他的母亲通了电话，证明她还活着。

The kidnappers wanted a huge sum – around $10m.

绑架者想要一笔巨款——大约1000万美元。

But Ollie discovered that tucked into a travel insurance policy obtained through his father’s work

但奥利发现，藏在他父亲工作得来的一份旅行保险单里的

was a clause that provided kidnapping and ransom⁶ insurance.

是提供绑架和赎金保险的条款。

“It was incredibly lucky, really,” Ollie said.

奥利说，“这真的是太幸运了。”

Through the policy, two security consultants⁷ from Control Risks were assigned to the case.

通过这份保险单，控制风险集团派出两位顾问来处理这个事件。

“That’s when the government said: ‘You have to make a choice – it’s either us or them.’” Ollie recalled.

奥利回忆道，“那时，政府表示：你得做出一选择，不是我们就是他们。”

He found the security consultants to be sober professionals.

他发现两位安全顾问非常专业。

They explained how the negotiations⁸ would work, and that the sole focus would on getting his mother back alive.

他们解释了谈判将如何进行，唯一的焦点就是让他母亲活着回来。

“They were very much like, we do this every day, and this is expected in this part of the world,

他说，“他们的表现好像就在说，我们每天都做这个，在这个地方会发生这种事，

and this is our pattern for what a Somali kidnap looks like,” he said.

这就是我们对索马里绑架的一贯做法。”

1 safari   

n.远征旅行(探险、考察)；探险队，狩猎队

参考例句：

• When we go on safari we like to cook on an open fire.我们远行狩猎时，喜欢露天生火做饭。
• They went on safari searching for the rare black rhinoceros.他们进行探险旅行，搜寻那稀有的黑犀牛。

2 secluded   

adj.与世隔绝的；隐退的；偏僻的v.使隔开，使隐退( seclude的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• Some people like to strip themselves naked while they have a swim in a secluded place. 一些人当他们在隐蔽的地方游泳时，喜欢把衣服脱光。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This charming cottage dates back to the 15th century and is as pretty as a picture, with its thatched roof and secluded garden. 这所美丽的村舍是15世纪时的建筑，有茅草房顶和宁静的花园，漂亮极了，简直和画上一样。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 kidnappers   

n.拐子，绑匪( kidnapper的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They were freed yesterday by their kidnappers unharmed. 他们昨天被绑架者释放了，没有受到伤害。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The kidnappers had threatened to behead all four unless their jailed comrades were released. 帮匪们曾经威胁说如果印度方面不释放他们的同伙，他们就要将这四名人质全部斩首。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 abducted   

劫持，诱拐( abduct的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（肢体等）外展

参考例句：

• Detectives have not ruled out the possibility that she was abducted. 侦探尚未排除她被绑架的可能性。
• The kid was abducted at the gate of kindergarten. 那小孩在幼儿园大门口被绑架走了。

5 metropolitan   

adj.大城市的，大都会的

参考例句：

• Metropolitan buildings become taller than ever.大城市的建筑变得比以前更高。
• Metropolitan residents are used to fast rhythm.大都市的居民习惯于快节奏。

6 ransom   

n.赎金，赎身；v.赎回，解救

参考例句：

• We'd better arrange the ransom right away.我们最好马上把索取赎金的事安排好。
• The kidnappers exacted a ransom of 10000 from the family.绑架者向这家人家勒索10000英镑的赎金。

7 consultants   

顾问( consultant的名词复数 )； 高级顾问医生，会诊医生

参考例句：

• a firm of management consultants 管理咨询公司
• There're many consultants in hospital. 医院里有很多会诊医生。

8 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。