2007年VOA标准英语-Burma's Ailing PM Apparently Replaced

By Ron Corben
Bangkok
19 May 2007

Burma's ruling military appears to have appointed another top-ranking general to take over the duties of the country's ailing¹ prime minister. As Ron Corben reports from Bangkok, regional analysts³ say the move is not likely to have a significant impact on the military government's policies.

Prime Minister Soe Win of Burma

Burma's secretive military government did not make an official announcement that it was replacing General Soe Win as prime minister, after months of speculation⁴ about his health.

Instead, a brief report in the official New Light of Myanmar newspaper referred to another senior officer, Lieutenant⁵ General Thein Sein, as acting⁶ prime minister and said he had invited Cambodian leader Hun Sen for an official visit.

Soe Win, who was appointed in late 2004, is reported to be seriously ill and receiving medical treatment in Singapore. He succeeded former Prime Minister Khin Nyunt, who was purged⁷ from the leadership and lives under house arrest.

The acting prime minister is a former regional commander in northern Burma, and also oversees⁸ the constitution drafting convention that is part of the military's so-called "road map" to democracy.

Carl Thayer, a defense⁹ analyst² at the University of New South Wales in Canberra, says he sees little chance of a significant shift in policies with Thien Sein as acting prime minister.

Thayer says the last crucial change came with the ousting¹⁰ of Khin Nyunt and his supporters, who had backed steps to respond to international criticism of Burma's human rights policies and the detention¹¹ of opposition¹² leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

"The cleaning out of the stables over a year ago got rid of those people who were in favor of opening up or playing games, trying to integrate Burma with the region - on occasion make concessions¹³ to Aung San Suu Kyi - they've gone," he said.  "The remaining are pretty hard core committed to what they're doing and I personally don't see any change."

Aung San Suu Kyi (1989 photo)

Human rights activists¹⁴ have accused Soe Win of involvement in the attacks on Aung San Suu Kyi in northern Burma in late May 2003. The 1991 Nobel laureate has been under house arrest since the attack. The order governing her detention is due to expire later this month.

The European Union and the United States, which this week renewed sanctions on Burma, have called on the military government to immediately release Aung San Suu Kyi. The U.S. sanctions date back to May 1997 and were strengthened in July 2003.

Burma's military government is headed by Senior General Than Shwe, whose own health was in question earlier this year until he appeared at national day celebrations. The current group of generals has been in power since 1988.

1 ailing   

v.生病

参考例句：

• They discussed the problems ailing the steel industry. 他们讨论了困扰钢铁工业的问题。
• She looked after her ailing father. 她照顾有病的父亲。

2 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

3 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

4 speculation   

n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机

参考例句：

• Her mind is occupied with speculation.她的头脑忙于思考。
• There is widespread speculation that he is going to resign.人们普遍推测他要辞职。

5 lieutenant   

n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员

参考例句：

• He was promoted to be a lieutenant in the army.他被提升为陆军中尉。
• He prevailed on the lieutenant to send in a short note.他说动那个副官，递上了一张简短的便条进去。

6 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

7 purged   

清除（政敌等）( purge的过去式和过去分词 )； 涤除（罪恶等）； 净化（心灵、风气等）； 消除（错事等）的不良影响

参考例句：

• He purged his enemies from the Party. 他把他的敌人从党内清洗出去。
• The iron in the chemical compound must be purged. 化学混合物中的铁必须清除。

8 oversees   

v.监督，监视( oversee的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• She oversees both the research and the manufacturing departments. 她既监督研究部门又监督生产部门。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Department of Education oversees the federal programs dealing with education. 教育部监管处理教育的联邦程序。 来自互联网

9 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

10 ousting   

驱逐( oust的现在分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• The resulting financial chaos led to the ousting of Bristol-Myers' s boss. 随后引发的财政混乱导致了百时美施贵宝的总裁下台。
• The ousting of the president has drawn widespread criticism across Latin America and the wider world. 洪都拉斯总统被驱逐时间引起拉丁美洲甚至全世界的广泛批评。

11 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。

12 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。

13 concessions   

n.（尤指由政府或雇主给予的）特许权( concession的名词复数 )；承认；减价；（在某地的）特许经营权

参考例句：

• The firm will be forced to make concessions if it wants to avoid a strike. 要想避免罢工，公司将不得不作出一些让步。
• The concessions did little to placate the students. 让步根本未能平息学生的愤怒。

14 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》