2007年VOA标准英语-Ship Carrying Illegal Migrants Intercepted in C

By Naomi Schwarz
Dakar
23 May 2007

Police in Senegal say they have intercepted¹ a ship and its passengers who are believed to be Senegalese migrants trying to reach Europe.  Naomi Schwarz reports from Dakar police say they are investigating what they say may be an organized network smuggling² illegal migrants.

Police in the north of Senegal's Casamance region intercepted a boat Tuesday off the coast near The Gambia. They reportedly acted on information received from the European Union's new border protection agency.

According to police, the 90 passengers were Senegalese nationals attempting to get to Spain illegally via the Canary Islands. The crew and passengers were all arrested, as were 13 others in nearby boats who may have been involved.

A Senegalese policeman loads young would-be migrants into a van on their arrival at the port of Dakar, 26 April 2007

Tens of thousands of West Africans have attempted the risky³ sea journey to the Canary Islands during the past couple of years.  Most of them were in small traditional wooden fishing boats, called pirogues.

Police Spokesman, Colonel Alioune Ndiaye says this boat was a much larger, modern cargo⁵ ship.

Ndiaye says police are investigating whether this means Senegal is seeing a new phase in the smuggling business.

He says until now the Senegalese police have seen only very small organizations of perhaps two or three local fisherman with a pirogue who attempted to ferry passengers to the Canaries.

But with this much larger ship, staffed by an international crew, Colonel Ndiaye says a larger network of brokers⁶ and smugglers may have arranged for the ship to make the journey.  But he says he cannot confirm the existence of such an organization.

Would-be migrants often pay large sums of cash to the boat captains or brokers who help them find a boat going to the Canaries.

Another man called Alioune Ndiaye, who was one of the passengers on the intercepted Gambian ship, says his whole family helped him raise the money to pay for his passage.

Ndiaye says his brothers and mother all put in money to help him go abroad because they hoped he would get a good job in Spain and be able to send them money back in Senegal.

Local journalist Alpha Jallow spoke⁴ to policemen on the scene.  He says police told him they are waiting for file charges.

"During the course of the investigation⁷ maybe those arrested might reveal some very big names," Jallow said. "Because the police said they know that there might be some big people behind this whole business."

Jallow says he has heard reports that some of these trips are organized by big players in Senegal's capital, Dakar, and the details are carried out by agents in Casamance and nearby Guinea-Bissau.  Police were unable to confirm these details, saying they did not want to jeopardize⁸ an ongoing⁹ investigation. 

1 intercepted   

拦截( intercept的过去式和过去分词 )； 截住； 截击； 拦阻

参考例句：

• Reporters intercepted him as he tried to leave the hotel. 他正要离开旅馆，记者们把他拦截住了。
• Reporters intercepted him as he tried to leave by the rear entrance. 他想从后门溜走，记者把他截住了。

2 smuggling   

n.走私

参考例句：

• Some claimed that the docker's union fronted for the smuggling ring.某些人声称码头工人工会是走私集团的掩护所。
• The evidence pointed to the existence of an international smuggling network.证据表明很可能有一个国际走私网络存在。

3 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

4 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

5 cargo   

n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物

参考例句：

• The ship has a cargo of about 200 ton.这条船大约有200吨的货物。
• A lot of people discharged the cargo from a ship.许多人从船上卸下货物。

6 brokers   

n.（股票、外币等）经纪人( broker的名词复数 )；中间人；代理商；（订合同的）中人v.做掮客（或中人等）( broker的第三人称单数 )；作为权力经纪人进行谈判；以中间人等身份安排…

参考例句：

• The firm in question was Alsbery & Co., whiskey brokers. 那家公司叫阿尔斯伯里公司，经销威士忌。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• From time to time a telephone would ring in the brokers' offices. 那两排经纪人房间里不时响着叮令的电话。 来自子夜部分

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 jeopardize   

vt.危及，损害

参考例句：

• Overworking can jeopardize your health.工作过量可能会危及你的健康。
• If you are rude to the boss it may jeopardize your chances of success.如果你对上司无礼，那就可能断送你成功的机会。

9 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。