2006年VOA标准英语-Sri Lanka Ceasefire Monitors Blame Government T

By Patricia Nunan
New Delhi
30 August 2006

		Government soldiers patrol on the Mavilaaru reservoir tank bank in Mavilaaru, close to Muttur, Sri Lanka, Monday, August 28, 2006

International ceasefire monitors have blamed the Sri Lankan military for the massacre¹ earlier this month of 17 aid workers. The killings² took place in the east of the country, which has seen weeks of fighting that threatens to re-ignite the country's civil war.

-----

Ceasefire monitors say the Sri Lankan military was the only armed group in the eastern town of Muttur when the August 4 massacre took place.

Therefore, the observers from the international Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission, or SLMM, say security forces had to be responsible for the deaths.

The massacre was one of the most brutal³ incidents in weeks of sporadic⁴ clashes between the government and Tamil Tiger rebels. The violence threatens to return the country to the civil war waged for 20 years over the rebels' demand for a separate homeland for the country's ethnic⁵ Tamil minority.

The aid workers were with the French organization, Action Against Hunger, and most were ethnic Tamils. Fifteen were found lying face down in the group's compound in Muttur. Witnesses say they were shot in the back of the head, execution-style. Two others were found dead in a car, apparently⁶ murdered while trying to escape.

The SLMM released the findings of their investigation⁷ into the incident Wednesday. The group says it was prevented from reaching Muttur for security reasons immediately after the massacre. They base their findings, they say, on reliable sources.

The government has denied its forces had anything to do with for the deaths and has begun its own investigation into the incident.

James Ross, a senior legal adviser⁸ with the group Human Rights Watch, says that often, government investigations⁹ are not good enough.

"One of the main problems that we've found in Sri Lanka over the years is the issue of impunity¹⁰ - of serious crimes being committed and no serious action taken," said Ross. "Now there's been an investigation announced, but we've seen that before, where there's an investigation, and it just slowly fades away, it never gets concluded. And no one is prosecuted¹¹, and no one is convicted and sent to prison for serious crimes."

Ross says the massacre and other cases of violence against civilians¹² should compel the international community to consider sending United Nations human rights monitors to Sri Lanka.

But it is unlikely a new group of international observers will be deployed¹³ any time soon.

Thursday is the deadline set by the Tamil Tigers for nearly half of the 57 ceasefire monitors to leave Sri Lanka. The rebels declared that monitors from European Union countries can not stay because the EU has named the group a terrorist organization.

The SLMM observers were deployed after the government and the Tamil Tigers signed a ceasefire in 2002, which now some say exists in name only.

1 massacre   

n.残杀，大屠杀；v.残杀，集体屠杀

参考例句：

• There was a terrible massacre of villagers here during the war.在战争中，这里的村民惨遭屠杀。
• If we forget the massacre,the massacre will happen again!忘记了大屠杀，大屠杀就有可能再次发生！

2 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

3 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

4 sporadic   

adj.偶尔发生的 [反]regular；分散的

参考例句：

• The sound of sporadic shooting could still be heard.仍能听见零星的枪声。
• You know this better than I.I received only sporadic news about it.你们比我更清楚，而我听到的只是零星消息。

5 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。

6 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。

7 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。

8 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

9 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

10 impunity   

n.(惩罚、损失、伤害等的)免除

参考例句：

• You will not escape with impunity.你不可能逃脱惩罚。
• The impunity what compulsory insurance sets does not include escapement.交强险规定的免责范围不包括逃逸。

11 prosecuted   

a.被起诉的

参考例句：

• The editors are being prosecuted for obscenity. 编辑因刊载污秽文字而被起诉。
• The company was prosecuted for breaching the Health and Safety Act. 这家公司被控违反《卫生安全条例》。

12 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

13 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。