VOA常速英语2008年-E. Timor Prepares Arrest Warrants in Connection

By Phil Mercer
Darwin, Australia
13 February 2008

East Timor's embattled government is preparing arrest warrants for 18 men believed to have been involved in the assassination¹ attempts on the country's president and prime minister. Additional Australian peacekeepers continue to arrive in the tiny republic in an effort to stop further unrest. From Darwin in northern Australia, Phil Mercer reports.

 

East Timor's government is planning to order the arrest of 18 rebel soldiers believed to have been involved in the shooting Monday of President Jose Ramos Horta. He was badly wounded in the attack, in which fugitive² rebel leader Alfredo Reinado was killed.

 

Insurgents³ also attacked the motorcade of Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao, who escaped unhurt.

 

Mr. Ramos Horta is being treated at Australia's Royal Darwin Hospital after being airlifted there Monday.

 

He has undergone more surgery to repair a damaged lung and to remove bullet fragments after being shot in the chest and back. Further operations are expected.

 

Dr. Len Notaris says he is hopeful the East Timorese leader will make a good recovery, although for now, he remains⁴ in serious condition.

"It is foolish to be over confident at this particular stage," he said. "It's still very early days. We continue to maintain a high level of vigilance, exercising those clinical skills that we have become nationally and internationally known to perform extremely well."

The man accused of leading the assassination attempt, Alfredo Reinado, was blamed for leading an uprising in 2006 that drove thousands of civilians⁵ from their homes in fear. The violence resulted in the emergency intervention⁶ of peacekeepers from Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and Portugal.

 

Reinado was indicted⁷ on several counts of murder, but escaped from jail awaiting trial.

 

Some observers say this week's events happened because the rule of law in the country is so weak, delaying Reinado's going on trial.

 

Following Monday's attacks, Australia is sending reinforcements to help the 1,600-strong United Nations police contingent⁸.

 

The East Timorese capital, Dili, has been calm in recent days, but there are fears that forces loyal to Reinado could cause more trouble in the fragile democracy.

 

East Timor voted to split from Indonesia in a violence-plagued referendum in 1999.

 

Independence came in 2002 but has thus far failed to deliver peace or prosperity to an impoverished⁹ population.

1 assassination   

n.暗杀；暗杀事件

参考例句：

• The assassination of the president brought matters to a head.总统遭暗杀使事态到了严重关头。
• Lincoln's assassination in 1865 shocked the whole nation.1865年，林肯遇刺事件震惊全美国。

2 fugitive   

adj.逃亡的，易逝的；n.逃犯，逃亡者

参考例句：

• The police were able to deduce where the fugitive was hiding.警方成功地推断出那逃亡者躲藏的地方。
• The fugitive is believed to be headed for the border.逃犯被认为在向国境线逃窜。

3 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

4 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

5 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

6 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。

7 indicted   

控告，起诉( indict的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The senator was indicted for murder. 那位参议员被控犯谋杀罪。
• He was indicted by a grand jury on two counts of murder. 他被大陪审团以两项谋杀罪名起诉。

8 contingent   

adj.视条件而定的；n.一组，代表团，分遣队

参考例句：

• The contingent marched in the direction of the Western Hills.队伍朝西山的方向前进。
• Whether or not we arrive on time is contingent on the weather.我们是否按时到达要视天气情况而定。

9 impoverished   

adj.穷困的，无力的，用尽了的v.使（某人）贫穷( impoverish的过去式和过去分词 )；使（某物）贫瘠或恶化

参考例句：

• the impoverished areas of the city 这个城市的贫民区
• They were impoverished by a prolonged spell of unemployment. 他们因长期失业而一贫如洗。 来自《简明英汉词典》