VOA常速英语2007年-Sierra Leone Police Open Fire on Locals Protest

By Jade¹ Heilmann
Dakar
14 December 2007

Police in Eastern Sierra Leone have opened fire to disperse² a group of demonstrators in the kimberlite mining town of Koidu, where local residents say they have not been compensated³ for environmental damages from the mining. As Jade Heilmann reports from our West, Central Africa bureau in Dakar, several people were injured in the incident.

Dozens of young residents of the eastern Sierra Leone town of Koidu swarmed⁴ onto the mine to protest against the mining company. Sierra Leone police had to intervene and opened fire on the protesters.

Valnora Edwin is the director of Sierra Leone non-governmental organization, Campaign for Good Governance. She says the residents of the town adjacent to the mine complain the blasting has negatively impacted their daily lives.

"They are complaining that when they are doing the blasting it is affecting their school, it's affecting everyday activities because everyone has to go indoors, there are particles flying in the air, and that is also affecting their health," she said.

The residents are also complaining that the mining, which started in 2003, damages their plantations⁵, their water supplies, and more generally, the environment. They want the mining company to pay to relocate them.

Abu Brima, executive director of the Sierra Leone Network Movement for Justice and Development, has been an avid⁶ activist⁷ against the company's practices, which he says violate human rights. He explains the community has taken legal steps to try to change the mining company's practices.

"The community people have made a number of complains, and have written a lot of letters of complaints to the authorities, and recently they also made a memorandum⁸ of 14 points to go on strike if Koidu holdings did not meet their demands," he said.

According to Brima, because these demands were not met, the villagers resorted to protesting, expecting the support of local authorities.

"But, unfortunately they [the authorities] have used their heavy hands to clamp down on local communities on behalf of the mining company. Now there is a lot of panic and chaos⁹ and pandemonium¹⁰ in the whole of Koidu town," he said.

Koidu Holdings, a kimberlite mining company, has changed ownership several times. The current majority stakeholder is Geneva-based mining group BSG.

They could not be reached for comment, but a March 2004 press release says the company is adhering to the standards and regulations of the Sierra Leone Government and international best practices.

The press release also states they have adhered to compensatory and relocation plans, but that new houses are being illegally built on land leased to the mine.

1 jade   

n.玉石；碧玉；翡翠

参考例句：

• The statue was carved out of jade.这座塑像是玉雕的。
• He presented us with a couple of jade lions.他送给我们一对玉狮子。

2 disperse   

vi.使分散；使消失；vt.分散；驱散

参考例句：

• The cattle were swinging their tails to disperse the flies.那些牛甩动着尾巴驱赶苍蝇。
• The children disperse for the holidays.孩子们放假了。

3 compensated   

补偿，报酬( compensate的过去式和过去分词 )； 给（某人）赔偿（或赔款）

参考例句：

• The marvelous acting compensated for the play's weak script. 本剧的精彩表演弥补了剧本的不足。
• I compensated his loss with money. 我赔偿他经济损失。

4 swarmed   

密集( swarm的过去式和过去分词 )； 云集； 成群地移动； 蜜蜂或其他飞行昆虫成群地飞来飞去

参考例句：

• When the bell rang, the children swarmed out of the school. 铃声一响，孩子们蜂拥而出离开了学校。
• When the rain started the crowd swarmed back into the hotel. 雨一开始下，人群就蜂拥回了旅社。

5 plantations   

n.种植园，大农场( plantation的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Soon great plantations, supported by slave labor, made some families very wealthy. 不久之后出现了依靠奴隶劳动的大庄园，使一些家庭成了富豪。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• Winterborne's contract was completed, and the plantations were deserted. 维恩特波恩的合同完成后，那片林地变得荒废了。 来自辞典例句

6 avid   

adj.热心的；贪婪的；渴望的；劲头十足的

参考例句：

• He is rich,but he is still avid of more money.他很富有,但他还想贪图更多的钱。
• She was avid for praise from her coach.那女孩渴望得到教练的称赞。

7 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

8 memorandum   

n.备忘录，便笺

参考例句：

• The memorandum was dated 23 August,2008.备忘录上注明的日期是2008年8月23日。
• The Secretary notes down the date of the meeting in her memorandum book.秘书把会议日期都写在记事本上。

9 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

10 pandemonium   

n.喧嚣，大混乱

参考例句：

• The whole lobby was a perfect pandemonium,and the din was terrific.整个门厅一片嘈杂，而且喧嚣刺耳。
• I had found Adlai unperturbed in the midst of pandemonium.我觉得艾德莱在一片大混乱中仍然镇定自若。