2006年VOA标准英语-UN Says Nepal King Curbing Democratic Righ

By Lisa Schlein
Geneva
19 April 2006
 
 
Ian Martin, the representative of UN High Commissioner¹ for Human Rights in Katmandu, speaks in Katmandu, Nepal
(File photo - Feb. 16, 2006) 
  
A Senior U.N. official is urging the international community to put more pressure on the Nepalese government to end the violent standoff with its people. The official told reporters in Geneva that protests in Nepal are continuing, despite increasingly repressive measures by the government.

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Representative of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights in Nepal, Ian Martin, says democratic rights in Nepal do not exist. He says the opportunities for peaceful protests have been closed down.

He says he is very concerned by, what he calls, the excessive use of force by Nepalese security forces against demonstrators. He says at least five people have been shot to death and two others have died in hospital of their injuries.

He says up to 4,000 demonstrators have been arrested during the past two weeks. Most have been released, but about 700 people remain in detention² under deplorable conditions. In addition, he says the government has extended the detention orders of political and civil society leaders arrested in mid-January by a further 90 days.

Despite these and other oppressive measures, he says the seven-party alliance is calling for another large demonstration³ Thursday in the capital Kathmandu.

"I would call on the authorities to allow that demonstration to go ahead and on the organizers to assure that it is conducted peacefully," he said. "A repeat of recent behavior by the security forces could turn that demonstration tomorrow into a further flash point with serious consequences for human rights."

Martin says the current situation cannot go on indefinitely. He notes this is day 14 of a general strike throughout the country and the consequences of that, as seen in the capital Kathmandu, are very serious.

"In shortages of petrol, cooking gas, salt, basic commodities with prices where commodities are still available going up rapidly," he added. "A great deal of hardship especially to the many people whose survival is a day to day matter, day laborers⁴ and small traders. And, around the country, there has been virtually a complete cessation of any transport throughout the 14 days of the general strike."

The U.N. Official came to Geneva to attend a special meeting organized by the Swiss government on the situation of Nepal. Martin says it is important that the international community become more actively⁵ involved in seeking a resolution to the growing conflict in that country.

He says there already has been serious displacement⁶ from conflict areas. He notes as many as a million people are believed to have crossed into India since the conflict began.

1 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

2 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。

3 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

4 laborers   

n.体力劳动者，工人( laborer的名词复数 )；（熟练工人的）辅助工

参考例句：

• Laborers were trained to handle 50-ton compactors and giant cranes. 工人们接受操作五十吨压土机和巨型起重机的训练。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Wage-labour rests exclusively on competition between the laborers. 雇佣劳动完全是建立在工人的自相竞争之上的。 来自英汉非文学 - 共产党宣言

5 actively   

adv.积极地，勤奋地

参考例句：

• During this period all the students were actively participating.在这节课中所有的学生都积极参加。
• We are actively intervening to settle a quarrel.我们正在积极调解争执。

6 displacement   

n.移置，取代，位移，排水量

参考例句：

• They said that time is the feeling of spatial displacement.他们说时间是空间位移的感觉。
• The displacement of all my energy into caring for the baby.我所有精力都放在了照顾宝宝上。