VOA标准英语2009年-Sri Lanka to Release Thousands of Tamil Re

By Anjana Pasricha
New Delhi
23 October 2009

 
UN envoy¹ Walter Kalin (C) arrives at a camp for displaced in Vavuniya, north east of Colombo, Sri Lanka, 25 Sep 2009
Over the coming weeks, the Sri Lankan government plans to release nearly 40,000 ethnic² Tamils confined in military run-refugee camps. The first group has already left the camps. The government has also come under renewed international pressure to investigate charges of war crimes during the final stages of its military campaign to end a civil war waged by Tamil Tiger rebels.

Sri Lankan officials say a batch³ of 6,000 Tamils has left the country's largest refugee camps in the north to return to their villages. This is the largest single group allowed to go home since a military campaign to defeat the Tamil Tiger rebels ended this May.

It is also the first time that the government allowed refugees to return to areas which were formerly⁴ controlled by the rebels.

The final stages of the fighting displaced nearly a quarter of a million Tamils, who are housed in crowded camps in the north. Until Thursday, only a small number had been freed.

The slow pace of their release has triggered international concern and frequent appeals by the United Nations and rights groups to let the refugees return to their villages.

U.N. spokesman in Colombo, Gordon Weiss, says the government is making an effort to speed up the pace of resettlement.

"We have detected certainly an increase in the past couple of weeks of the rate at which people are being allowed to return home," said Gordon Weiss. "They are making a serious attempt now to get people out of the camps and get them back to their villages."

The government says that over the coming weeks it will release 40,000 refugees. It says it has detained the refugees because it wants to screen them to weed out former rebels, and to demine villages where battles had raged.      

The government is also facing international pressure to investigate alleged⁵ war crimes. This week, a probe by the European Union found Sri Lanka in breach⁶ of human rights laws during the military campaign to defeat the rebels. A US state department report has called on Sri Lanka to investigate alleged rights abuses in the closing stages of the conflict, and punish those responsible. 

So far the government has rejected such allegations saying the evidence is unsubstantiated.  

But several independent voices in Sri Lanka are backing the calls by the US and the European Union.

The head of Colombo's Center for Policy Alternatives, Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu says an investigation⁷ into alleged war crimes will help to heal the wounds of the civil war.

"The key point here is, can we have reconciliation⁸ without accountability," said Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu. "We are talking about reconciliation, we are talking about moving ahead. Allegations left uninvestigated with regard to crimes of this nature, violations⁹ of human rights, will only serve to feed resentment¹⁰, bitterness, anger, frustration¹¹." 

The Tamil Tigers struggle for an independent homeland was triggered by complaints of discrimination against the minority Tamil community by the majority Sinhalese.

1 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。

2 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。

3 batch   

n.一批(组，群)；一批生产量

参考例句：

• The first batch of cakes was burnt.第一炉蛋糕烤焦了。
• I have a batch of letters to answer.我有一批信要回复。

4 formerly   

adv.从前，以前

参考例句：

• We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
• This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。

5 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

6 breach   

n.违反，不履行；破裂；vt.冲破，攻破

参考例句：

• We won't have any breach of discipline.我们不允许任何破坏纪律的现象。
• He was sued for breach of contract.他因不履行合同而被起诉。

7 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。

8 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

9 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

10 resentment   

n.怨愤，忿恨

参考例句：

• All her feelings of resentment just came pouring out.她一股脑儿倾吐出所有的怨恨。
• She cherished a deep resentment under the rose towards her employer.她暗中对她的雇主怀恨在心。

11 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。