2007年VOA标准英语-Pakistan Closes Two Camps for Afghan Refugees

By Lisa Schlein
Geneva
30 June 2007

Pakistan this weekend is closing two camps for Afghan refugees. The U.N. refugee agency is urging the government of Pakistan to make sure the closure goes peacefully. Violent clashes occurred in mid-May when Pakistan tried to close another camp for Afghan refugees. Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from UNHCR headquarters in Geneva.

The U.N. refugee agency says it does not want a replay of what happened in May, and it is calling for continued dialogue between the government and the refugees in the camps that are being closed.

U.N. refugee spokesman Ron Redmond tells VOA the camps host more than 82-thousand registered Afghans, most of whom are women, children and the elderly. "Overall, there has been a pretty good response from the Afghan community to the decision to consolidate¹ camps in Pakistan. And a lot of the Afghans took the opportunity in advance of these camp closures to take advantage of various assistance programs being offered by UNHCR to actually go back to Afghanistan itself," he said.

Each Afghan refugee who decides to return home voluntarily with UNHCR assistance is given a cash grant of $100. The refugees also receive food, shelter materials and other items to help them get settled upon their return home.

The Pakistan government says it is closing the camps for security reasons. They are located along tribal² areas in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province and Baluchistan, near the border with Afghanistan, an area where there are frequent clashes between Pakistan's military and militants³.

Redmond says the UNHCR is closely monitoring the camp closures to make sure people are not forced back to Afghanistan against their will. The agency says the refugees have two options. Those wishing to return to Afghanistan can do so with UNHCR's help. And, those who are unable to return can choose to relocate to an existing camp in Pakistan designated by the government, which is in a more secure area.

Redmond said the refugees who decide to go home will not be returned to places in Afghanistan affected⁴ by conflict. "We do and have underlined our concerns about Afghanistan's deteriorating⁵ security situation and the limited absorption capacity of some areas of Afghanistan to accept people back in large numbers. And, we have discussed the implications of these problems with the Pakistanis as well as with the Afghans. And, we want to ensure that those who do go home are able to stay home," he said.

The UNHCR reports more than two million Afghan refugees are living temporarily in Pakistan. They have been given cards valid⁶ for three years. More than half of them live in urban areas.

Since the overthrow⁷ of the Taleban in 2002, the UNHCR has repatriated⁸ more than three million Afghans from Pakistan, making it one of the largest repatriation⁹ operations in the world.

1 consolidate   

v.使加固，使加强；(把...)联为一体，合并

参考例句：

• The two banks will consolidate in July next year. 这两家银行明年7月将合并。
• The government hoped to consolidate ten states to form three new ones.政府希望把十个州合并成三个新的州。

2 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

3 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

4 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

5 deteriorating   

恶化，变坏( deteriorate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The weather conditions are deteriorating. 天气变得越来越糟。
• I was well aware of the bad morale and the deteriorating factories. 我很清楚，大家情绪低落，各个工厂越搞越坏。

6 valid   

adj.有确实根据的；有效的；正当的，合法的

参考例句：

• His claim to own the house is valid.他主张对此屋的所有权有效。
• Do you have valid reasons for your absence?你的缺席有正当理由吗？

7 overthrow   

v.推翻，打倒，颠覆；n.推翻，瓦解，颠覆

参考例句：

• After the overthrow of the government,the country was in chaos.政府被推翻后，这个国家处于混乱中。
• The overthrow of his plans left him much discouraged.他的计划的失败使得他很气馁。

8 repatriated   

v.把（某人）遣送回国，遣返( repatriate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The refugees were forcibly repatriated. 难民被强制遣送回国。
• Ancient artworks were repatriated from the US to Greece. 古代艺术品从美国遣送回希腊。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 repatriation   

n.遣送回国，归国

参考例句：

• The Volrep programme is the preferred means of repatriation. 政府认为自愿遣返计划的遣返方法较为可取。 来自互联网
• Arrange the cargo claiming and maritime affairs,crews repatriation,medical treatment,traveling so on. （六）洽办货物理赔，船舶海事处理，办理船员遣返，就医，旅游等。 来自互联网