2007年VOA标准英语-Maoist Rebels Call for Economic Blockade in Eas

By Anjana Pasricha
New Delhi
26 June 2007

In eastern India, a two-day strike called by Maoist rebels to protest a government plan to establish special industrial parks on farmland has hit public transportation. As Anjana Pasricha reports from New Delhi, the strike could mark a change of tactics for the rebels.

 

Central Reserve Police Force inspects site where train was blown up by land-mine near Chetar railway station in  Lathehar district, 26 Jun 2007

Police say Maoist rebels blew up rail tracks, attacked two freight trains and set ablaze² several trucks Tuesday in three eastern Indian states at the start of a 48-hour economic blockade.

 

Authorities say rail traffic and bus services were disrupted in some places in Jharkhand, Bihar, and Chattisgarh following the sporadic³ violence.

The rebels called the strike to protest a recent government decision to allow industries to establish special economic zones. The government is hoping these enclaves will attract investors⁴ and boost employment.

But the rebels say the special economic zones or SEZ's will displace tens of thousands of villagers.

 

The Maoists are not the first to raise their voice against the enclaves. The proposal has already sparked protests from farmers who will lose their land.

The head of New Delhi's independent Institute of Conflict Management, Ajay Sahni, says the blockade is a new tactic¹ by the Maoist insurgents⁵, who have been blamed for mounting attacks on police and security posts in recent years.

"This, I think, would be the first coordinated⁶ blockade over an extended area on an issue of this nature…this is the beginning of a new trend," Sahni said. "It represents a very serious threat to the continuity of economic activities over wide areas…I am not merely talking about proposed SEZ's. I am talking about industrial projects that are already partially⁷ underway, others that are already operational."

Authorities say they have stepped up security in what they called "vulnerable areas."

In recent years, attacks by the Maoist rebels have escalated⁸, and their influence has gradually spread across a wide belt of eastern and central India.

Security agencies say the rebels now have a presence in nearly half of India's 29 states.

 

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has described the communist rebels as the biggest threat to India's internal security and has urged state governments to do more to combat their growing influence.

 

But security experts say the rebels continue to make steady inroads in rural areas that remain untouched by India's economic boom. The insurgents say they are fighting for the rights of poor peasants and landless workers.

1 tactic   

n.战略，策略；adj.战术的，有策略的

参考例句：

• Reducing prices is a common sales tactic.降价是常用的销售策略。
• She had often used the tactic of threatening to resign.她惯用以辞职相威胁的手法。

2 ablaze   

adj.着火的，燃烧的；闪耀的，灯火辉煌的

参考例句：

• The main street was ablaze with lights in the evening.晚上，那条主要街道灯火辉煌。
• Forests are sometimes set ablaze by lightning.森林有时因雷击而起火。

3 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。

4 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

5 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

6 coordinated   

adj.协调的

参考例句：

• The sound has to be coordinated with the picture. 声音必须和画面协调一致。
• The numerous existing statutes are complicated and poorly coordinated. 目前繁多的法令既十分复杂又缺乏快调。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

7 partially   

adv.部分地，从某些方面讲

参考例句：

• The door was partially concealed by the drapes.门有一部分被门帘遮住了。
• The police managed to restore calm and the curfew was partially lifted.警方设法恢复了平静，宵禁部分解除。

8 escalated   

v.（使）逐步升级( escalate的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）逐步扩大；（使）更高；（使）更大

参考例句：

• The fighting escalated into a full-scale war. 这场交战逐步扩大为全面战争。
• The demonstration escalated into a pitched battle with the police. 示威逐步升级，演变成了一场同警察的混战。