VOA标准英语2009年-Southeast Asian Rights Groups Call for Bet

By Ron Corben
Bangkok
09 October 2009

Civil society groups in Southeast Asia are calling on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for full implementation¹ of human rights and other reforms. The call was being made ahead of an ASEAN summit to be held in Thailand later this month.
 
Civil society groups made the call Friday for consultations² with regional governments so more social and economic issues can be addressed when ASEAN leaders meet in Thailand later this month.

 

 
Debbie Stothardt
Debbie Stothardt, spokeswoman for the Alternative ASEAN Network, says there is a need to have "substantive³ dialogue and engagement" with ASEAN leaders on regional issues.   

"Not just in terms of meeting the heads of government every year for a few minutes but in terms of talking 'nuts and bolts' with senior officials," she said. "The people want to engage not just in a ritual or ceremonial way but actually in a substantive way where we get to talk about the various policies that affect our daily lives."

The role of civil society groups took a major step forward following ASEAN meetings earlier this year.

Under the reforms, civil society groups now have the opportunity to hold talks with selected countries.

In the July meetings several groups held talks with leaders, including Thailand, to raise issues of rights abuses in Burma. A rights charter has also been adopted by all 10 members promoting a so-called "people-centered ASEAN".

But groups say they are pessimistic about the effectiveness of reforms, that include adoption⁴ of a human rights charter and the setting up of a rights commission to oversee⁵ issues of abuses in Southeast Asia.

Yap Swee Seng, a representative with rights group Forum⁶ Asia, raised doubts the  commission will be fully⁷ independent because it could be funded and controlled within the ASEAN Secretariat.

"If you do not have independent experts sitting in the commission and instead you have government officials sitting in the commission how is the commission going to hold ASEAN member states accountable to human rights? So it really runs to the core question of how independent it can be unless you have independent experts that can speak without fear and favor," he said.

Other issues rights groups want to raise with leaders include the impact of climate change on communities and the effect investment projects would have in Burma and other countries.

 
Khin Ohmar
Khin Ohmar, a member of the Forum for Democracy in Burma, says ASEAN needs to press Burma to talk with the democratic opposition⁸ and ethnic⁹ nationalities about the release of political prisoners and a halt to human rights abuses against ethnic minorities.

"The key message that we want to get across this time is for ASEAN to really address, to really engage dialogue with the regime of how they have already been breaching¹⁰ the charter so that as a regional bloc¹¹ that we really want it on the table as official agenda," she said.

ASEAN is expected to push Burma on reforms amid recent moves by several countries, including the United States, to re-engage with Burma's military government, while at the same time maintaining economic sanctions to influence the regime to end rights abuses.

Thailand is hosting this second summit of ASEAN leaders starting October 23. An earlier leaders meeting had to be canceled after anti-government protesters stormed a key venue¹² where the summit was due to be held. The Thai government said it will step up security at the summit later this month.

1 implementation   

n.实施，贯彻

参考例句：

• Implementation of the program is now well underway.这一项目的实施现在行情看好。

2 consultations   

n.磋商（会议）( consultation的名词复数 )；商讨会；协商会；查找

参考例句：

• Consultations can be arranged at other times by appointment. 磋商可以通过预约安排在其他时间。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Consultations are under way. 正在进行磋商。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3 substantive   

adj.表示实在的；本质的、实质性的；独立的；n.实词，实名词；独立存在的实体

参考例句：

• They plan to meet again in Rome very soon to begin substantive negotiations.他们计划不久在罗马再次会晤以开始实质性的谈判。
• A president needs substantive advice,but he also requires emotional succor. 一个总统需要实质性的建议，但也需要感情上的支持。

4 adoption   

n.采用，采纳，通过；收养

参考例句：

• An adoption agency had sent the boys to two different families.一个收养机构把他们送给两个不同的家庭。
• The adoption of this policy would relieve them of a tremendous burden.采取这一政策会给他们解除一个巨大的负担。

5 oversee   

vt.监督，管理

参考例句：

• Soldiers oversee the food handouts.士兵们看管着救济食品。
• Use a surveyor or architect to oversee and inspect the different stages of the work.请一位房产检视员或建筑师来监督并检查不同阶段的工作。

6 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

7 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

8 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。

9 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

10 breaching   

攻破( breach的过去式 )； 破坏，违反

参考例句：

• The company was prosecuted for breaching the Health and Safety Act. 这家公司被控违反《卫生安全条例》。
• Third, an agency can abuse its discretion by breaching certain principles of judge-made law. 第三，行政机关会因违反某些法官制定的法律原则而构成滥用自由裁量权。

11 bloc   

n.集团；联盟

参考例句：

• A solid bloc of union members support the decision.工会会员团结起来支持该决定。
• There have been growing tensions within the trading bloc.贸易同盟国的关系越来越紧张。

12 venue   

n.犯罪地点，审判地，管辖地，发生地点，集合地点

参考例句：

• The hall provided a venue for weddings and other functions.大厅给婚礼和其他社会活动提供了场所。
• The chosen venue caused great controversy among the people.人们就审判地点的问题产生了极大的争议。