VOA常速英语2008年-Suspected Arms Trafficker's Lawyer Says Thai Of

By Luis Ramirez
Bangkok
17 March 2008

A lawyer for alleged¹ international arms trafficker Viktor Bout² says Thai tried to force Bout to go to the United States, following his arrest in Thailand, earlier this month. VOA's Luis Ramirez reports from Bangkok.

Thai authorities are holding Viktor Bout - the man some call the "Merchant of Death" - without bail³ in a Bangkok prison. Thai officials have yet to unveil charges against him after he was arrested on March 6 in a hotel in Bangkok. Bout's arrest came after a 12-month investigation⁴ in which reports say American agents posed as representatives of Colombian rebels seeking to reach a multi-million dollar arms deal with the Russian businessman.

His attorney, Yan Dasgupta, told reporters he believes his client is being held unlawfully and notes that Thai authorities had as yet to file charges against him, Monday. The lawyer says that, while Bout was being held at a Bangkok police station after his arrest, Thai government agents tried to persuade and physically⁵ force Bout to board an airplane to the United States.

"It's quite clear certain governmental officials tried to send him to the United States, without following proper legal procedure," said Dasgupta. "And, my client was resisting his first hours after being detained in order to avoid this kind of illegal attitude toward his person."

Dasgupta says U.S. agents were present and monitoring the conversations as Thai officials were trying to persuade Bout. Thai officials did not immediately comment on the lawyer's remarks.

The United States has begun the process to extradite Bout to U.S. territory after his indictment⁶ on charges of conspiring⁷ to provide weapons to a foreign terrorist organization. U.S. embassy officials say they are not aware of any altercation⁸ between officials and Bout after his arrest.

Bout is the owner of a Russian aircraft maintenance company and other businesses. Reports say that, in the past 15 years, say he has supplied weapons to both rebel leaders and governments in Sierra Leone, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Liberia. He is also said to have had dealings with organizations including the Taliban in Afghanistan and Al Qaida. Bout was arrested when he dealt with U.S. agents who he thought were representatives of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia - regarded by the United States as terrorists.

The lawyer says Bout's associate, Andrew Smulian, was in Bangkok at the time Bout was arrested. Smulian appeared in a court in the United States, last week, to face charges, of conspiring to supply arms to terrorists. Officials have not said how Smulian ended up on U.S. territory.

1 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

2 bout   

n.侵袭，发作；一次(阵，回)；拳击等比赛

参考例句：

• I was suffering with a bout of nerves.我感到一阵紧张。
• That bout of pneumonia enfeebled her.那次肺炎的发作使她虚弱了。

3 bail   

v.舀（水），保释；n.保证金，保释，保释人

参考例句：

• One of the prisoner's friends offered to bail him out.犯人的一个朋友答应保释他出来。
• She has been granted conditional bail.她被准予有条件保释。

4 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。

5 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

6 indictment   

n.起诉；诉状

参考例句：

• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。
• They issued an indictment against them.他们起诉了他们。

7 conspiring   

密谋( conspire的现在分词 )； 搞阴谋； （事件等）巧合； 共同导致

参考例句：

• They were accused of conspiring against the king. 他们被指控阴谋反对国王。
• John Brown and his associates were tried for conspiring to overthrow the slave states. 约翰·布朗和他的合伙者们由于密谋推翻实行奴隶制度的美国各州而被审讯。

8 altercation   

n.争吵，争论

参考例句：

• Throughout the entire altercation,not one sensible word was uttered.争了半天，没有一句话是切合实际的。
• The boys had an altercation over the umpire's decision.男孩子们对裁判的判决颇有争议。