2006年VOA标准英语-Philippines Police Arrest 16 in Plot to Ov

By Nancy-Amelia Collins
Manila
27 February 2006

Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo¹ smiles during the round table discussion with her economic team at Malacanang Palace in Manila  
  
Philippine police have filed charges of rebellion against 16 people, including a former senator and four congressmen, who stand accused of plotting to overthrow² the government. Officials say more arrests are expected in the coming days as President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo continues her crackdown on the opposition³.

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The rebellion charges come just three days after President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo declared a state of emergency, saying her government had quashed a coup⁴ by disgruntled soldiers and opposition members from both the left and the right.

The emergency decree gives Mrs. Arroyo sweeping⁵ powers, including those to make arrests without a warrant, ban demonstrations⁶, and take over facilities, including media outlets⁷, that may affect national security.

Police raided an opposition newspaper, The Daily Tribune, shortly after the emergency was declared, and officials say they are "studying" charges of inciting⁸ sedition⁹ against the publisher, Ninez Cacho-Olivarez.

Troops have also been posted outside two of the country's largest television stations.

Many people here are worried about the powers Mrs. Arroyo is using to quash dissent¹⁰, but the 58-year-old former economist¹¹ says the emergency proclamation will help the nation's economy.

Mrs. Arroyo says attempts to overthrow the government during former administrations have hurt the economy.

The president did not say when the emergency decree would be lifted, but pledged, once again, to improve the lot of the fractious military by earmarking money for salary increases and housing.

Despite the emergency, disgruntled Marines, angry their chief had been removed from his post, staged an eight-hour standoff on Sunday at their headquarters in Manila.

Several thousand protesters gathered near the blocked off entrances to the barracks, but the incident ended peacefully, with the Marines agreeing to obey their officers.

Other organizations vowed¹² Monday to defy the ban on demonstrations.

Carol Araullo, Chairman of BAYAN, a group established in 1985 to fight against then dictator, Ferdinand Marcos, says the opposition, on both left and right, plans to hold demonstrations soon.

"So in one word. We will defy. We will defy this illegal, illegitimate order. We will bring our movement to oust¹³ this illegal and fraudulent government from power…our message is that we are not cowed," said Araullo.

The group urged citizens to wear a red ribbon, or tie one onto their house gates, to show their defiance¹⁴ of the emergency decree.

A group of lawyers and other citizens on Monday petitioned the Supreme¹⁵ Court to lift the state of emergency.

One of the petitioners¹⁶ and a spokesman for the Alternative Law Group, Attorney Mailon Manuel, says the state of emergency violates the constitution.

Mrs. Arroyo survived a bid to impeach¹⁷ her over allegations of corruption¹⁸ and vote rigging in the 2004 elections, but has been unable to shake the public's distrust. Recent local surveys show she is now more unpopular than former dictator Marcos.

1 arroyo   

n.干涸的河床，小河

参考例句：

• She continued along the path until she came to the arroyo.她沿着小路一直走到小河边。
• They had a picnic by the arroyo.他们在干枯的河床边野餐过。

2 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。

3 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

4 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

5 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

6 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。

7 outlets   

n.出口( outlet的名词复数 )；经销店；插座；廉价经销店

参考例句：

• The dumping of foreign cotton blocked outlets for locally grown cotton. 外国棉花的倾销阻滞了当地生产的棉花的销路。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They must find outlets for their products. 他们必须为自己的产品寻找出路。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

8 inciting   

刺激的，煽动的

参考例句：

• What are you up to inciting mutiny and insubordination? 你们干吗在这里煽动骚动的叛乱呀。
• He was charged with inciting people to rebel. 他被控煽动民众起来叛乱。

9 sedition   

n.煽动叛乱

参考例句：

• Government officials charged him with sedition.政府官员指控他煽动人们造反。
• His denial of sedition was a denial of violence.他对煽动叛乱的否定又是对暴力的否定。

10 dissent   

n./v.不同意，持异议

参考例句：

• It is too late now to make any dissent.现在提出异议太晚了。
• He felt her shoulders gave a wriggle of dissent.他感到她的肩膀因为不同意而动了一下。

11 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

12 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

13 oust   

vt.剥夺，取代，驱逐

参考例句：

• The committee wanted to oust him from the union.委员会想把他从工会中驱逐出去。
• The leaders have been ousted from power by nationalists.这些领导人被民族主义者赶下了台。

14 defiance   

n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗

参考例句：

• He climbed the ladder in defiance of the warning.他无视警告爬上了那架梯子。
• He slammed the door in a spirit of defiance.他以挑衅性的态度把门砰地一下关上。

15 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

16 petitioners   

n.请求人，请愿人( petitioner的名词复数 )；离婚案原告

参考例句：

• Petitioners suggest that anything less than certainty, that any speculation, is irresponsible. 申诉者认为不准确的事或推断都是不负责任的。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• The judge awarded the costs of the case to the petitioners. 法官判定由这起案件的上诉人支付诉讼费用。 来自辞典例句

17 impeach   

v.弹劾；检举

参考例句：

• We must impeach the judge for taking bribes.我们一定要检举法官收受贿赂。
• The committee decided to impeach the President.委员会决定弹劾总统。

18 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。