VOA慢速英语2021--缅甸的抗议活动是如何组织的？

Protests in Myanmar against the military overthrow¹ of the elected government have grown in recent days. But the country's military rulers have taken steps to make organizing the protests difficult or even illegal.

Here is a look at who is organizing the protests and the problems they face:

Is protesting permitted?

It was unclear for many days after the military overthrow on February 1 whether demonstrations² were permitted or not.

But as the demonstrations grew and spread around the country, the military announced Monday it was banning peaceful public protests in the country's two largest cities.

Gatherings³ of more than five people were outlawed⁴ and curfews were put in place from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. for areas of Yangon and Mandalay. Thousands of people have been demonstrating in those cities since Saturday.

The new restrictions⁵ have raised concerns about the possibility of a violent crackdown.

Who is leading the protests?

For the most part, the protests have grown without any clear leadership structure.

"This movement is leaderless -- people are getting on the streets in their own way and at their own will," said Thinzar Shunlei Yi, a well-known activist⁶.

Activist groups, professional work groups, unions and others across Myanmar have all come out to protest. The demonstrators are supported by Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party. Suu Kyi was ousted⁷ from power in the military takeover.

Myanmar experienced direct military rule for more than 50 years until 2012. Shortly after the latest military overthrow, a Facebook page called "Civil Disobedience Movement" started calling for peaceful protests. The page now has more than 230,000 followers⁸. It is also widely used by Twitter users in Myanmar.

Health care workers also started a protest campaign. They are urging employees to refuse to work at state-run medical buildings.

Some people who live in Yangon have voiced their anger by making loud noises across the city at night.

What are the difficulties?

One of the biggest problems for protesters has been the military's attempts to block communications.

Facebook has 22 million users in Myanmar, nearly 40 percent of the population. The government acted quickly to shut Facebook down. But people then began moving to other social media services like Twitter.

People have also been passing around information about how to keep communications secret and how to stay safe during protests.

Last weekend, the military temporarily cut internet services and some phone service. But many protestors were quick to overcome those problems, with some using phones registered in neighboring Thailand.

"Even when the internet was completely cut off on Saturday for 24 hours, people were able to communicate within Myanmar by phone," said Clare Hammond. She is a senior campaigner for the rights group Global Witness.

For others, simple word of mouth and an understanding of where demonstrations took place in earlier years has brought them out in protest.

Will the protests continue?

The protesters seem to remain operating without fear, even with the new restrictions in place on demonstrations.

Some are worried, however, that the military is preparing for a violent crackdown similar to those that ended past uprisings in 2007 and 1988.

Linda Lakhdhir is a legal advisor⁹ at Human Rights Watch. She said the military could try to use violations¹⁰ of the new rules, as well as existing laws, to justify¹¹ another crackdown. She called the laws "draconian¹²."

At times, police have used water cannons¹³ and non-deadly bullets at some protests, raising concerns about the possibility of additional government measures.

Words in This Story

crackdown – n. a serious attempt to punish people for doing something that is not permitted

draconian – adj. very severe or cruel

1 overthrow   

v.推翻，打倒，颠覆；n.推翻，瓦解，颠覆

参考例句：

• After the overthrow of the government,the country was in chaos.政府被推翻后，这个国家处于混乱中。
• The overthrow of his plans left him much discouraged.他的计划的失败使得他很气馁。

2 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

3 gatherings   

聚集( gathering的名词复数 )； 收集； 采集； 搜集

参考例句：

• His conduct at social gatherings created a lot of comment. 他在社交聚会上的表现引起许多闲话。
• During one of these gatherings a pupil caught stealing. 有一次，其中一名弟子偷窃被抓住。

4 outlawed   

宣布…为不合法（outlaw的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Most states have outlawed the use of marijuana. 大多数州都宣布使用大麻为非法行为。
• I hope the sale of tobacco will be outlawed someday. 我希望有朝一日烟草制品会禁止销售。

5 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

6 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

7 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。

8 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

9 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

10 violations   

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。

11 justify   

vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护

参考例句：

• He tried to justify his absence with lame excuses.他想用站不住脚的借口为自己的缺席辩解。
• Can you justify your rude behavior to me?你能向我证明你的粗野行为是有道理的吗？

12 draconian   

adj.严苛的；苛刻的；严酷的；龙一样的

参考例句：

• You can't expect the people to obey such draconian regulations.你不能指望人民服从如此严苛的规定。
• The city needs a draconian way of dealing with robbers.这个城市需要一个严苛的办法来对付强盗。

13 cannons   

n.加农炮，大炮，火炮( cannon的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Cannons bombarded enemy lines. 大炮轰击了敌军阵地。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• One company had been furnished with six cannons. 某连队装备了六门大炮。 来自《简明英汉词典》