2006年VOA标准英语-Lao Government Expresses Dismay Over US Cr

By Scott Bobb
Bangkok
02 February 2006

An ethnic¹ Hmong family watches Hmong New Year celebrations, Jan. 3, 2006, in Nong Hoi Mai village, near Chiang Mai, Thailand  
  
The government of Laos has rejected charges by the State Department that it is hindering efforts to locate and care for refugee children deported³ from neighboring Thailand. The children from the Hmong ethnic group have been separated from their parents for nearly two months and their whereabouts are not officially known.

The Lao government reacted with dismay after the State Department called for it to disclose the whereabouts of 27 refugee children. The children, from the Hmong ethnic group, were deported secretly from Thailand in December. The U.S. urges Vientiane to allow international aid agencies to provide care for the children.

Government spokesman Yong Chantalangsy said the children were sent to Laos without the knowledge of his government.

"Since we are not aware and notified at all on this issue, we were not involved in separating those children and we were not involved at all in the deportation⁴ of those children, therefore the responsibility is not on our side. So I am surprised why the pressure should be put on our country," he said.

He says his government has been told that the children were sent to Bolikhamxay Province, east of Vientiane, but he indicated their exact whereabouts is not known. He said officials are looking into the matter.

International sources who asked to remain anonymous⁵ say the children are in the custody⁶ of Lao security forces and there are concerns about their health. International aid groups say Thai authorities seized the children after they were found outside their camp in northeastern Petchabun province.

The groups say the children were transported to Lao territory without being registered with the Lao government. No reason has been given for this action.

The Thai government has not publicly responded to the reports, but officials in Bangkok say they are dealing⁷ with the issue.

The Hmong ethnic group in Laos and Vietnam backed the U.S. government during the Vietnam War and hundreds of thousands of them fled to Thailand after the Americans withdrew in 1975.

Over the years, many found new homes in other countries. Last year the U.S. government accepted 15,000 Hmong, saying this would be the last group to be taken. But thousands more remain, many of them more recent immigrants who crossed into Thailand believing that they, too, would be resettled in the United States.

The Thai government considers them illegal immigrants and says it has the right to deport² them. But Laos considers those who leave the country without approval to have relinquished⁸ their citizenship⁹ and will not let them return. The issue has repeatedly strained ties between the two governments.

1 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

2 deport   

vt.驱逐出境

参考例句：

• We deport aliens who slip across our borders.我们把偷渡入境的外国人驱逐出境。
• More than 240 England football fans are being deported from Italy following riots last night.昨晚的骚乱发生后有240多名英格兰球迷被驱逐出意大利。

3 deported   

v.将…驱逐出境( deport的过去式和过去分词 )；举止

参考例句：

• They stripped me of my citizenship and deported me. 他们剥夺我的公民资格，将我驱逐出境。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The convicts were deported to a deserted island. 罪犯们被流放到一个荒岛。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 deportation   

n.驱逐，放逐

参考例句：

• The government issued a deportation order against the four men.政府发出了对那4名男子的驱逐令。
• Years ago convicted criminals in England could face deportation to Australia.很多年以前，英国已定罪的犯人可能被驱逐到澳大利亚。

5 anonymous   

adj.无名的；匿名的；无特色的

参考例句：

• Sending anonymous letters is a cowardly act.寄匿名信是懦夫的行为。
• The author wishes to remain anonymous.作者希望姓名不公开。

6 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

7 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

8 relinquished   

交出，让给( relinquish的过去式和过去分词 )； 放弃

参考例句：

• She has relinquished the post to her cousin, Sir Edward. 她把职位让给了表弟爱德华爵士。
• The small dog relinquished his bone to the big dog. 小狗把它的骨头让给那只大狗。

9 citizenship   

n.市民权，公民权，国民的义务(身份)

参考例句：

• He was born in Sweden,but he doesn't have Swedish citizenship.他在瑞典出生，但没有瑞典公民身分。
• Ten years later,she chose to take Australian citizenship.十年后，她选择了澳大利亚国籍。