2007年VOA标准英语-Activists Accuse Burma of Mounting a State of T

By Lisa Schlein
Geneva
28 March 2007

Human Rights activists² from Burma are appealing to the U.N. Human Rights Council and the international community to maintain pressure on the government's military rulers to end their repression³ of the country's Karen ethnic⁴ minority. The activists have issued a study that describes the group's situation. Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from Geneva.

The Burmese activists say the information in the study was collected by members of the Karen Women's Organization at great risk to their lives. The study, called "State of Terror," documents a wide-range of human rights abuses across Karen State, which borders Thailand.

It accuses the Burmese military regime of waging a sustained campaign of terror against people in the state. It documents about 4,000 cases of abuse in nearly 200 villages.

A co-author of the report, Blooming Night Zan, who is also a representative of the Karen Women's Organization, says Karen women are the main victims of government attacks. She says they are doubly oppressed because of their ethnicity and their gender⁵.

"Ninety percent of all documented human rights violations⁶ in the report are forced relocations and forced laboring⁷ or portering," she said. "These violations have often been committed in conjunction with rape⁸, beating, mutilation, cultural murder, denial of rights to food, water and shelter and denial of the right to legal redress⁹."

"The State of Terror [report] shows the direct link of accountability of the Burmese military regime for its violations … atrocities¹⁰ committed within a human rights framework," she added.

Zan says increasing numbers of Karen are fleeing across the border into Thailand to escape the brutal¹¹ treatment and many more people have become internally displaced. She says international action is needed to end the abuse.

Another Burmese activist¹, Win Naing, came to Geneva specifically to petition the U.N. Human Rights Council to monitor the situation in Burma.

Naing, who represents the Burmese government in exile or the National Coalition¹² Government of the Union of Burma, says a strong voice is needed from the United Nations to protect his people.

The Human Rights Council is now debating whether it should do away with the special rapporteurs that investigate human rights violations in countries around the world. Naing urges the Council not to do this.

"We still need our special rapporteur on Burma," he said. "We still need a country resolution of Burma. Without the international institutions' involvement, there will be more and more human rights violations."

Naing says his group supports international sanctions against the military government because the so-called policy of constructive¹³ engagement does not work.

The peace activists say Burma has more than 1,300 political prisoners, including Nobel Laureate Aung San Sui Kui. They say they do not believe the government will free Sui Kyi from house arrest because they are afraid of her and of the support she receives from the people.

1 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。

2 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 repression   

n.镇压，抑制，抑压

参考例句：

• The repression of your true feelings is harmful to your health.压抑你的真实感情有害健康。
• This touched off a new storm against violent repression.这引起了反对暴力镇压的新风暴。

4 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。

5 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

6 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

7 laboring   

n.劳动，操劳v.努力争取(for)( labor的现在分词 )；苦干；详细分析；（指引擎）缓慢而困难地运转

参考例句：

• The young man who said laboring was beneath his dignity finally put his pride in his pocket and got a job as a kitchen porter. 那个说过干活儿有失其身份的年轻人最终只能忍辱，做了厨房搬运工的工作。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• But this knowledge did not keep them from laboring to save him. 然而，这并不妨碍她们尽力挽救他。 来自飘（部分）

8 rape   

n.抢夺，掠夺，强奸；vt.掠夺，抢夺，强奸

参考例句：

• The rape of the countryside had a profound ravage on them.对乡村的掠夺给他们造成严重创伤。
• He was brought to court and charged with rape.他被带到法庭并被指控犯有强奸罪。

9 redress   

n.赔偿，救济，矫正；v.纠正，匡正，革除

参考例句：

• He did all that he possibly could to redress the wrongs.他尽了一切努力革除弊端。
• Any man deserves redress if he has been injured unfairly.任何人若蒙受不公平的损害都应获得赔偿。

10 atrocities   

n.邪恶，暴行( atrocity的名词复数 )；滔天大罪

参考例句：

• They were guilty of the most barbarous and inhuman atrocities. 他们犯有最野蛮、最灭绝人性的残暴罪行。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The enemy's atrocities made one boil with anger. 敌人的暴行令人发指。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

11 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。

12 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

13 constructive   

adj.建设的，建设性的

参考例句：

• We welcome constructive criticism.我们乐意接受有建设性的批评。
• He is beginning to deal with his anger in a constructive way.他开始用建设性的方法处理自己的怒气。