Leaders of Southeast Asian countries are meeting in Thailand for the annual summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The focus is expected to be on dealing with the global economic downturn rather than human rights issues and growing concerns about Burma.
东盟国家领导人将在泰国举行每年一度的东盟首脑会议。预计这次峰会的重点将是应对全球经济衰退，而不是人权议题以及对缅甸日益增长的关切。
Foreign and finance ministers from Southeast Asia began arriving Thursday in Hua Hin, Thailand, for the ASEAN summit.
来自东南亚国家的外交和财政部长们星期四开始陆续抵达泰国华欣，出席东盟峰会。
At the top of the agenda is preventing further fall-out from the global financial crisis.
会议的首要议题是防止经济在全球金融危机中进一步滑坡。
"As we know that this year is going to be a really difficult year for Southeast Asia, and East Asia in general, owing to the effect of the global financial crisis," said Professor Somphob Manarangsan, who teaches economics at Thailand's Thammasat University. "So, I think that preparation of Asia, particularly in this East Asian region, to deal with the increasing effect of the crisis is very important."
玛纳朗桑教授在泰国法政大学教授经济学。他说：“我们都知道，由于全球金融危机的影响，今年对于东南亚和东亚整体上来说是非常困难的一年，所以我认为，亚洲，尤其是东亚准备应对危机日益加深的影响是非常重要的。”
ASEAN finance ministers agreed last week to increase a shared emergency fund from $80 billion to $120 billion, most of it provided by China, Japan, and South Korea. A free-trade agreement between ASEAN, Australia, and New Zealand is to be signed at the summit.
上星期，东盟各国财政部长同意把筹建中的区域外汇储备基金从800亿美元增加到1千200亿美元，其中大部分资金是中国、日本和韩国提供的。这次峰会将签署东盟同澳大利亚和新西兰之间的自由贸易协定。
Hundreds of activists and rights groups have converged on Bangkok and Hua Hin for the summit, demanding that human rights should be higher on the agenda.
ASEAN is forming a human rights body to address concerns in the region, such as Burma's military-run government. But ASEAN's Secretary General Surin Pitsuwan told journalists Wednesday that once it is formed, the human rights body would likely act only on consensus, effectively giving veto power to each of the 10 member states, including Burma.
东盟正在组成一个人权机构，解决该地区的缅甸军政府等受到关切的问题。但是，东盟秘书长素林对记者表示，这个人权机构一旦组成，它可能将只依据共识采取行动，包括缅甸在内的东盟十个成员国都拥有有效的否决权。
Nonetheless, Pitsuwan defended the formation of the body as a step forward and said there were other ways of pressing Burma to reform.
然而，素林辩解说，这个机构的组建向前迈进了一步，他说，还有其他途径迫使缅甸改革。
"Maybe some of the things that leaders are doing are not apparent and not in bold letters on your headlines," he said. "The fact that very little is achieved is not because no effort has been made, but because of the complication and complexity of the issue."
他说：“可能东盟领导人正在做的一些事情不太引人注目，不会醒目地成为你们的首要新闻。(缅甸问题上)成效甚微的事实并不是因为没有采取措施，而是因为这个问题具有复杂性。”
Burma's generals have kept an iron grip on the country for decades, suppressing democracy movements and imprisoning dissidents. The United Nations and the United States are urging Burma to release more than 2,000 political prisoners and allow free and fair elections.
缅甸军政府的将军们对这个国家已经实行了几十年的铁腕控制，镇压民主运动，囚禁异见人士。美国正在敦促缅甸政府释放两千多名政治犯，允许实行自由和公正的选举。
Speaking Thursday at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University, U.S. Ambassador to ASEAN Scot Marciel said the situation in Burma is having a negative impact on ASEAN's image.
美国驻东盟大使司考特.马歇尔在曼谷的朱拉隆功大学发表演讲时说，缅甸的形势对于东盟的形象产生了负面的影响。
"We hope the substance of the message will be to highlight that ASEAN as a whole feels strongly that Burma has not responded to either ASEAN or international calls for dialogue and progress, and, to continue to push and make it clear that this is a very high priority for ASEAN," he said.
他说：“我们希望这种说法实质上是要强调东盟整体上明显感到缅甸没有对东盟或国际社会要求对话和取得进展的呼吁作出回应，同时我们强调要继续推动，并且明确表明，这是东盟一个非常紧迫的议题。”
ASEAN members Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia have recently been flooded with hundreds of Rohingya, a Burmese minority taking to boats to escape poverty and oppression in Burma. Thailand's military was accused of towing hundreds of the Rohingya back out to sea where many drowned. The situation is to be discussed on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit.
缅甸大批罗辛亚少数族裔难民为逃离饥饿和压迫乘船涌入东盟成员国泰国、印度尼西亚和马来西亚。泰国军方被指控把数百名罗辛亚族人抛向大海，许多人被淹死。在东盟峰会举行的间隙将讨论这个问题。
The annual meeting is the first since ASEAN adopted a new charter in December. It moves the group closer to the goal of forming a single market and community similar to the European Union.
这次年度峰会是东盟去年12月采纳了新宪章之后举行的首次会议。新宪章推动东盟进一步接近建立一个类似欧盟那样的单一市场的目标。
Other ASEAN members include Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam, and Brunei.
其他东盟成员国还包括柬埔寨、老挝、菲律宾、新加坡、越南和文莱。 |