VOA标准英语2008年-UN Suspends Aid to Burma

By Luis Ramirez
Bangkok
09 May 2008

U.N. officials say they have suspended aid shipments to Burma after the military government seized all of the food and equipment that had been flown in by the World Food Program. The latest development in the unfolding crisis, came as the military government continued is turning away relief workers trying to organize assistance for the thousands of victims of last week's deadly cyclone¹. The official death toll² remains³ at nearly 23,000 but could go higher. U.N. agencies say as many as 1.5 million people were severely⁴ affected⁵ by the storm. VOA's Luis Ramirez reports from our Southeast Asia Bureau in Bangkok.

Friday was another day of waiting for the hundreds of relief workers who are standing⁶ by in Bangkok for visas from the Burmese government. Frustration⁷ mounted as Burma's military leadership announced - through a state-run newspaper - that it was not accepting rescue teams from foreign countries. News reports Friday said the Burmese authorities turned away a rescue team that landed on a relief flight from Qatar.

The government says Burma is receiving relief aid and distributing it "with its own resources." State television shows images of Burmese soldiers handing out aid packages in some townships.

Sources inside the country, however, say little of the aid that has been trickling⁸ in aboard U.N. and other flights appears to be making it to the people who need it most - those in the Irawaddy Delta⁹ where entire towns were wiped out and where the vast majority of the deaths occurred. Reports from the scene say many people there have yet to receive any aid whatsoever¹⁰ since the disaster struck on May third, and some are dying for lack of supplies and medical attention.

Hundreds of tons of food, purified water, plastic sheeting, medicine, blankets, mosquito netting, and other supplies have been sitting in stockpiles around the world, waiting for permission from the Burmese authorities to enter the country.

Bill Berger leads the U.S. Disaster Assistance Response Team, whose members are waiting for visas in Bangkok. He says it is critical for personnel to go in along with the aid.

"If we don't know that the supplies can get out of the airport, sending supplies in and just letting them land at the airport can be a problem. It can cause a logistics difficulty," he said. "We want to make sure that we're able to receive those supplies and get them into a distribution channel that gets them out quickly and effectively to the people most in need in this situation."

One of the main concerns is that aid is distributed equitably¹¹. Critics say Burma's military government in the past has diverted assistance to the families of the military elite¹² and their supporters.

Analysts¹³ say Burma's generals are reluctant to accept international aid teams for fear that a large foreign presence may foment¹⁴ unrest among a population that is strained by political repression¹⁵ and poverty.

The Burmese junta¹⁶'s refusal to allow access to relief teams is causing frustration even among its friends. Thailand, one of Burma's top trading partners, has been brokering¹⁷ efforts to get the Burmese junta to cooperate. Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej had been scheduled to go to Burma on Sunday to discuss relief efforts, but announced on Friday he had canceled the trip after the Burmese government said it would not accept relief workers.

Despite the disaster, the military leadership plans to go ahead with a constitutional referendum that is scheduled for Saturday in parts of the country. The junta on Friday urged citizens to vote for the constitution, which the generals say is a step toward returning Burma to democracy. Critics call the referendum a sham¹⁸ because the drafting process excluded the opposition¹⁹. They say the referendum is merely meant to prolong the military's 46-year grip on power.

1 cyclone   

n.旋风，龙卷风

参考例句：

• An exceptionally violent cyclone hit the town last night.昨晚异常猛烈的旋风吹袭了那个小镇。
• The cyclone brought misery to thousands of people.旋风给成千上万的人带来苦难。

2 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

3 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。

4 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

5 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。

6 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

7 frustration   

n.挫折，失败，失效，落空

参考例句：

• He had to fight back tears of frustration.他不得不强忍住失意的泪水。
• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration.他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。

8 trickling   

n.油画底色含油太多而成泡沫状突起v.滴( trickle的现在分词 )；淌；使)慢慢走；缓慢移动

参考例句：

• Tears were trickling down her cheeks. 眼泪顺着她的面颊流了下来。
• The engine was trickling oil. 发动机在滴油。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 delta   

n.（流的）角洲

参考例句：

• He has been to the delta of the Nile.他曾去过尼罗河三角洲。
• The Nile divides at its mouth and forms a delta.尼罗河在河口分岔，形成了一个三角洲。

10 whatsoever   

adv.（用于否定句中以加强语气）任何；pron.无论什么

参考例句：

• There's no reason whatsoever to turn down this suggestion.没有任何理由拒绝这个建议。
• All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you,do ye even so to them.你想别人对你怎样，你就怎样对人。

11 equitably   

公平地

参考例句：

• We should equitably assess historical figures. 我们应该公正地评价历史人物。
• Land was more equitably distributed. 土地得到更公平合理的分配。

12 elite   

n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的

参考例句：

• The power elite inside the government is controlling foreign policy.政府内部的一群握有实权的精英控制着对外政策。
• We have a political elite in this country.我们国家有一群政治精英。

13 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

14 foment   

v.煽动，助长

参考例句：

• The rebels know the truth and seek to foment revolution.那些叛乱者知道真相，并且想办法来挑起革命。
• That's an attempt to foment discord.这是挑拨。

15 repression   

n.镇压，抑制，抑压

参考例句：

• The repression of your true feelings is harmful to your health.压抑你的真实感情有害健康。
• This touched off a new storm against violent repression.这引起了反对暴力镇压的新风暴。

16 junta   

n.团体；政务审议会

参考例句：

• The junta reacted violently to the perceived threat to its authority.军政府感到自身权力受威胁而进行了激烈反击。
• A military junta took control of the country.一个军政权控制了国家。

17 brokering   

v.做掮客（或中人等）( broker的现在分词 )；作为权力经纪人进行谈判；以中间人等身份安排…

参考例句：

• Intertwined with these were rivalry, power brokering, and patronage. 然而也不乏有抗争、强权操纵与任命特权交织其中。 来自互联网
• Kingston Quest Can Assist Your Company In Negotiations, Brokering, Agency Services, Sourcing Factories Or Property. 金士顿追求，可帮助您的公司在谈判中，经纪，代理服务，货源工厂或财产。 来自互联网

18 sham   

n./adj.假冒(的)，虚伪(的)

参考例句：

• They cunningly played the game of sham peace.他们狡滑地玩弄假和平的把戏。
• His love was a mere sham.他的爱情是虚假的。

19 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。