2006年VOA标准英语-Timorese Militia Leader Refuses to Surrender We

By Marianne Kearney
East Timor
19 June 2006

East Timor's FM Jose Ramos-Horta, right, rebel leader Vincente da Concecao, 2nd right, talk to rebel group in a mountin village, East Timor, June, 19, 2006   
  
The leader of a breakaway militia¹ group in East Timor says he and his men will not surrender their weapons until their security is guaranteed. The militia leader also says Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri armed his men and asked them to intimidate² political opponents.

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High in the hills outside the capital Dili, Vicente da Concecao, also known as Commander Railos, met with East Timor's foreign minister, Jose Ramos-Horta.

Da Concecao refused to surrender his weapons to Ramos-Horta, apparently³ because he first wanted a guarantee of security for his men.

The foreign minister urged the men to give up their guns, following the example of another militia group, which began handing over weapons a few days ago.

Tiny East Timor has suffered through weeks of violence and political unrest, sparked by the dismissal of 600 soldiers who had staged a strike to protest alleged⁴ discrimination. At least 20 people have died and more than 100,000 had to flee their homes.

Australian and other foreign peacekeeping troops rushed to the country last month and have been disarming⁵ the different factions⁶.

Da Concecao says Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri armed his men to silence Mr. Alkatiri's critics, including the dismissed soldiers, known as petitioners⁷.

Da Concecao says he met in early May with Mr. Alkatiri and they discussed stopping the prime minister's critics.

Da Concecao says the prime minister did not speak directly about the petitioners, but told him the guns were for carrying out his duties. The militia leader says Mr. Alkatiri told him his duty is "you have to watch opposition⁸ groups."

But Da Concecao and his 105 men were later attacked by the East Timor military, and four of the men were killed. He says that prompted him to abandon his support for Mr. Alkatiri.

Mr. Alkatiri denies the allegations.

The militia chief says he wants East Timor to put Mr. Alkatiri before an international court, and he is prepared to testify against him. The government has agreed to let the United Nations organize an investigation⁹ of the recent strife¹⁰.

1 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

2 intimidate   

vt.恐吓，威胁

参考例句：

• You think you can intimidate people into doing what you want?你以为你可以威胁别人做任何事？
• The first strike capacity is intended mainly to intimidate adversary.第一次攻击的武力主要是用来吓阻敌方的。

3 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

4 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

5 disarming   

adj.消除敌意的，使人消气的v.裁军( disarm的现在分词 )；使息怒

参考例句：

• He flashed her a disarming smile. 他朝她笑了一下，让她消消气。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We will agree to disarming troops and leaving their weapons at military positions. 我们将同意解除军队的武装并把武器留在军事阵地。 来自辞典例句

6 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别

7 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

8 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。

9 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

10 strife   

n.争吵，冲突，倾轧，竞争

参考例句：

• We do not intend to be drawn into the internal strife.我们不想卷入内乱之中。
• Money is a major cause of strife in many marriages.金钱是造成很多婚姻不和的一个主要原因。