2006年VOA标准英语-Burma's Karen Face Hard Times as Insurgenc

By Ron Corben
Thai-Burma Border
13 February 2006

Burma's ethnic¹ Karen, who have been fighting the central government for nearly six decades, remain defiant² despite set backs and few resources.

Moei River on Thai-Burma border  
  
Traditional long-tail boats ferry passengers up the Moei River, which divides Burma from Thailand. Some boats stop at a clearing on one side of the river - the headquarters of Burma's ethnic Karen insurgents³. Jungle-covered hills loom⁴ over the little community.

Colonel Ner Dah Mya is a Karen rebel battalion⁶ commander. He told journalists that the Karen must remain defiant against Burma's military.

 
Colonel Ner Dah Mya
  
"We have to proceed and have to continue. We need to have a political fight also - a political fight, a military fight. In the battlefield, on the negotiating table. And we're ready to fight them either way," he said. "Show to the world that we are a Karen people, we are a nation; we're defending our Motherland."

The Karen National Union, or KNU, has spent nearly six decades fighting for autonomy. It is among some 20 minority groups that have fought the government since Burma won independence in 1948. In the past few years, 17 of those groups have signed cease-fire deals with Rangoon. But not the Karen, who number about seven million and had one of the largest armed insurgencies in Burma.

But thousands of Karen have died from the fighting and from the hard life in some of Southeast Asia's harshest jungle. With a fighting force of less than 4,000 now, the KNU is a far cry from the 1980s, when there were 20,000 troops. There have also been internal splits within the Karen leaving their strength diminished.

KNU troops on parade, Mu Aye Pu  
  
Bertil Lintner, a Swedish academic who has written extensively on Burma and its politics, says there is little the Karen can hope for against Burma's 400,000-strong army.

"There's no way they will be able to defeat the Burmese army," he said. "The most they can hope for is to survive and to keep their cause alive."

But Lintner says despite the odds⁷, the KNU has a lot of support that is problematic for the government.

"Eyewitnesses⁸, at least, support that they're still enjoying a high degree of popular support among the Karens in eastern Burma," he said. "So, even if the KNU's strength is down considerably⁹ it's still a factor to be reckoned with."
 
 
Karen National Union troops, Karen headquarters, Mu Aye Pu, Jan. 31, 2006
  
On this past Karen Revolutionary Day on January 31, leaders came to the jungle encampment to address the crowds and more than 200 troops.

Young Karen sing the movement's anthem¹⁰, and gunfire is heard from the nearby jungles.

The Karen have long argued they have distinct qualities in terms of history, language and culture that qualify them as a "nation." Rebel commander Ner Dah Mya outlines the Karen's goals now.

Karen at Mu Aye Pu, Burma-Thai border  
  
"What the Karen want is very simple - freedom and territory for the Karen people so that they can live peacefully in harmony," he said.

That autonomy is unlikely under Burma's military, which has ruled the country since 1962.

Lintner and other Burma experts say the government, which is drafting a new constitution based on national unity⁵, is not likely to allow either autonomy for minority groups or significant democratic reform.

In fact, Sunai Pasuk, a representative for the U.S.-based Human Rights Watch, says Burma's military will fight until all insurgencies surrender.

"It appears that the generals still believe that by using military force they can pressure ethnic groups to surrender and to take part in on-going reconciliation," he said.

The KNU's cease-fire talks with the government in 2004 have stalled. An informal truce¹¹ is currently in place. But for how long, is not clear.

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 defiant   

adj.无礼的，挑战的

参考例句：

• With a last defiant gesture,they sang a revolutionary song as they were led away to prison.他们被带走投入监狱时，仍以最后的反抗姿态唱起了一支革命歌曲。
• He assumed a defiant attitude toward his employer.他对雇主采取挑衅的态度。

3 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

4 loom   

n.织布机，织机；v.隐现，(危险、忧虑等)迫近

参考例句：

• The old woman was weaving on her loom.那位老太太正在织布机上织布。
• The shuttle flies back and forth on the loom.织布机上梭子来回飞动。

5 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

6 battalion   

n.营；部队；大队(的人)

参考例句：

• The town was garrisoned by a battalion.该镇由一营士兵驻守。
• At the end of the drill parade,the battalion fell out.操练之后，队伍解散了。

7 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？

8 eyewitnesses   

目击者( eyewitness的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The examination of all the eyewitnesses took a week. 对所有证人的质询用了一周的时间。
• Several eyewitnesses testified that they saw the officers hit Miller in the face. 几位目击证人证明他们看见那几个警官打了米勒的脸。

9 considerably   

adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上

参考例句：

• The economic situation has changed considerably.经济形势已发生了相当大的变化。
• The gap has narrowed considerably.分歧大大缩小了。

10 anthem   

n.圣歌，赞美诗，颂歌

参考例句：

• All those present were standing solemnly when the national anthem was played.奏国歌时全场肃立。
• As he stood on the winner's rostrum,he sang the words of the national anthem.他站在冠军领奖台上，唱起了国歌。

11 truce   

n.休战，(争执，烦恼等的)缓和；v.以停战结束

参考例句：

• The hot weather gave the old man a truce from rheumatism.热天使这位老人暂时免受风湿病之苦。
• She had thought of flying out to breathe the fresh air in an interval of truce.她想跑出去呼吸一下休战期间的新鲜空气。