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2006年VOA标准英语-Aceh Seeks Truth, Reconciliation After Decades

时间:2007-05-12 05:52:58

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(单词翻译)

By Jocelyn Ford1
Banda Aceh
19 December 2006

An Acehnese woman casts her <a href=ballot2 at a polling station, 11 Dec 2006 " hspace="2" src="http://www.tingroom.com/upimg/allimg/070512/1355440.jpg" width="210" vspace="2" border="0" />
An Acehnese woman casts her ballot at a polling station, 11 Dec 2006
The Indonesian province of Aceh this month held its first direct elections for key officials, a landmark3 vote intended to cement a peace deal between the government and former separatist rebels. The people of Aceh, which bore the brunt of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami4, can now hope to rebuild their shattered province in peace. But as Jocelyn Ford reports from Banda Aceh, questions remain over how to bring reconciliation5 after nearly three decades of brutal6 struggle - and whether justice is to be found in Western style courts, or in Aceh's own traditions.

Nursinah is up to her knees in mud, planting rice in her neighbor's rice paddy. The 55-year-old will get paid just under $2.00 for the day's work, the main income for her family of five.

She took on the role of breadwinner seven years ago, when her husband vanished.

Nursinah says one day her husband drove to a nearby town for business, and never came back. Two years later, her 28-year-old son was murdered. His killers7 have never been found.

She believes her husband was killed because he was suspected of supporting the Free Aceh Movement, or GAM, which was fighting for the province's independence.

Nursinah says he was not a GAM supporter, and he was wrongly suspected. But even if she could find out who killed her husband and son, she says, she does not want to punish them. Her religion, Islam, helps her find comfort.

"I'll give their lives to God, give Allah what he wants," she said.

Saifuddin Bantasyam is a law professor at Aceh's Syiah Kuala University. He says some people who lost loved ones during the conflict like Nursinah, are willing to forgive - but others want justice.

"In Islam, you are very much appreciated if you forgive those who commit crime to you," he said. "But we will also find a number of family that is very hard to forgive those accountable for human rights violation8."

In August 2005, the government and GAM signed a deal to end the conflict, which stretched over three decades and saw human rights abuses by both sides. Fifteen thousand people died. As part of the deal, the two sides agreed to set up a truth and reconciliation commission, to pursue justice for those who suffered abuse.

Such commissions are designed to ascertain9 the truth in a conflict, and to encourage communities to reconcile after long periods of strife10. But not everyone is sure that revisiting past traumas11 is the best way to help the victims find peace. And there are practical reasons why a commission for Aceh is unlikely to be formed any time soon.

Fuad Murdatillah teaches Islamic studies at the Institute of Islamic Religion in Banda Aceh, the provincial12 capital. He says some are afraid to tell their stories, and are particularly hesitant to point a finger at the Indonesian military.

"It can create a new problem in the future. It can also create the angry spirit from the military for example," he said. "They can create a new conflict if we try to dig again their bad experience in the past. "

Human rights activists13 also say the Indonesian government might not have the political will to hold members of its powerful army accountable for their actions during the Aceh conflict.

The decision, at any rate, might have been taken out of people's hands. A top Indonesian court recently ruled that such commissions have no legal basis. So the law establishing the commission needs to be rewritten. That could take several years.

One solution being suggested is to revive Aceh's traditional methods of justice.

Budi Arianto is part of the Aceh Traditional Culture Organization, which promotes methods that fell into disuse during the long civil war. Budi explains that before Western-style law courts, Aceh had its own system of settling disputes, based on Islamic and local traditions.

A religious leader and the village elders would hold a public hearing. The perpetrator of a crime would confess, and the two parties would agree on compensation and conduct a ceremony of forgiveness.

"Our system is much faster than law courts. And Acehnese have more trust in their local leaders than they do in the Indonesian courts," he said. "Local leaders aren't corrupt14."

Law professor Saifuddin says the old system has its advantages. For example, it is cheaper than going to court. And it can help heal the community, and pre-empt revenge attacks.

"When we have no loser and winner from this process, we can avoid someone to take revenge, and also can then re-establish again the relationship that already broken," he said.

Saifuddin says it is unlikely, however, that many people who committed serious human rights violations15 would participate.

And determining who some of them were could be extremely difficult. Most of the military was withdrawn16 from Aceh as part of the peace deal, and military records were taken away. And other records of abuses were washed away with the tsunami.


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1 Ford KiIxx     
n.浅滩,水浅可涉处;v.涉水,涉过
参考例句:
  • They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上,所以我们只能涉水过河。
  • If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪,必须极度小心。
2 ballot jujzB     
n.(不记名)投票,投票总数,投票权;vi.投票
参考例句:
  • The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
  • The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。
3 landmark j2DxG     
n.陆标,划时代的事,地界标
参考例句:
  • The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
  • The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。
4 tsunami bpAyo     
n.海啸
参考例句:
  • Powerful quake sparks tsunami warning in Japan.大地震触发了日本的海啸预警。
  • Coastlines all around the Indian Ocean inundated by a huge tsunami.大海啸把印度洋沿岸地区都淹没了。
5 reconciliation DUhxh     
n.和解,和谐,一致
参考例句:
  • He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
  • Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。
6 brutal bSFyb     
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。
7 killers c1a8ff788475e2c3424ec8d3f91dd856     
凶手( killer的名词复数 ); 消灭…者; 致命物; 极难的事
参考例句:
  • He remained steadfast in his determination to bring the killers to justice. 他要将杀人凶手绳之以法的决心一直没有动摇。
  • They were professional killers who did in John. 杀死约翰的这些人是职业杀手。
8 violation lLBzJ     
n.违反(行为),违背(行为),侵犯
参考例句:
  • He roared that was a violation of the rules.他大声说,那是违反规则的。
  • He was fined 200 dollars for violation of traffic regulation.他因违反交通规则被罚款200美元。
9 ascertain WNVyN     
vt.发现,确定,查明,弄清
参考例句:
  • It's difficult to ascertain the coal deposits.煤储量很难探明。
  • We must ascertain the responsibility in light of different situtations.我们必须根据不同情况判定责任。
10 strife NrdyZ     
n.争吵,冲突,倾轧,竞争
参考例句:
  • We do not intend to be drawn into the internal strife.我们不想卷入内乱之中。
  • Money is a major cause of strife in many marriages.金钱是造成很多婚姻不和的一个主要原因。
11 traumas 7da1e4c0a8ca7c0043a49c2bf2de8868     
n.心灵创伤( trauma的名词复数 );损伤;痛苦经历;挫折
参考例句:
  • She felt exhausted after the traumas of recent weeks. 她经受了最近几个星期的痛苦之后感到精疲力竭。
  • Conclusion: Safety lens of spectacles can protect the occurrence of ocular traumas. 结论:安全镜片可以预防眼镜碎片所致的眼外伤。 来自互联网
12 provincial Nt8ye     
adj.省的,地方的;n.外省人,乡下人
参考例句:
  • City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes.城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。
  • Two leading cadres came down from the provincial capital yesterday.昨天从省里下来了两位领导干部。
13 activists 90fd83cc3f53a40df93866d9c91bcca4     
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》
14 corrupt 4zTxn     
v.贿赂,收买;adj.腐败的,贪污的
参考例句:
  • The newspaper alleged the mayor's corrupt practices.那家报纸断言市长有舞弊行为。
  • This judge is corrupt.这个法官贪污。
15 violations 403b65677d39097086593415b650ca21     
违反( violation的名词复数 ); 冒犯; 违反(行为、事例); 强奸
参考例句:
  • This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
  • These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。
16 withdrawn eeczDJ     
vt.收回;使退出;vi.撤退,退出
参考例句:
  • Our force has been withdrawn from the danger area.我们的军队已从危险地区撤出。
  • All foreign troops should be withdrawn to their own countries.一切外国军队都应撤回本国去。

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