VOA标准英语2009-Philippines Declares State of Emergency as M

Officials say the death toll¹ from an attack on an election caravan² has risen to 46, after police found 22 more bodies in a mass grave.

Daniel Schearf | Bangkok 24 November 2009

 
Civilians look on as police officers carry dead bodies on a dump truck along a hillside in Datu Ampatuan, Maguindanao province, southern Philippines, 24 Nov 2009

"No effort will be spared to bring justice to the victims and hold the perpetrators accountable to the full limit of the law," says President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo³.

The government of the Philippines has declared a state of emergency in parts of the south after a massacre⁴ of at least 46 people, including 12 journalists. Press freedom groups have condemned⁵ the attack as the worst in history and express skepticism that those responsible will be brought to justice.

As more bodies were uncovered from the location of a massacre on the southern island of Mindanao Tuesday, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo declared a state of emergency.

That allows the police and military to impose a curfew and conduct random⁶ searches as they hunt for those who carried out the attack.

Speaking on national television, Mrs. Arroyo said she is sending military leaders and the head of the national police to oversee⁷ the operation.

"No effort will be spared to bring justice to the victims and hold the perpetrators accountable to the full limit of the law," said Mrs. Arroyo.

The victims were seized Monday by gunmen as they drove in a convoy⁸ to register Ismael Mangudadatu as a candidate for governor of Maguindanao province. About 20 bodies were discovered later in the day, and the rest found on Tuesday.

The Philippine military suspects the politically powerful Ampatuan family is behind the attack and has deployed⁹ troops to search for the provincial¹⁰ governor, Andal Ampatuan and a militia¹¹ loyal to him.

At least 12 journalists who were accompanying the group are among the dead.

Philippine elections often are violent, but Monday's attack was particularly shocking for its scope.

Rowena Paraan is director of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines. She says election season has always been dangerous for Philippine journalists, but these killings¹² are the worst in the country's history.

"It actually attacks two very fundamental foundations of democracy. One is election and the other is press freedom," she said.  "If you have problems with these two, and you're supposed to be in a democratic society, then I think there is a very big problem. And, it brings serious questions on whether there is indeed democracy in the Philippines or not."

Paraan says she is not very confident the government will prosecute¹³ those responsible for the killings, despite the Philippine president's declaration.

She says past investigations¹⁴ of political killings have produced few results.

 

1 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。

2 caravan   

n.大蓬车；活动房屋

参考例句：

• The community adviser gave us a caravan to live in.社区顾问给了我们一间活动住房栖身。
• Geoff connected the caravan to the car.杰弗把旅行用的住屋拖车挂在汽车上。

3 arroyo   

n.干涸的河床，小河

参考例句：

• She continued along the path until she came to the arroyo.她沿着小路一直走到小河边。
• They had a picnic by the arroyo.他们在干枯的河床边野餐过。

4 massacre   

n.残杀，大屠杀；v.残杀，集体屠杀

参考例句：

• There was a terrible massacre of villagers here during the war.在战争中，这里的村民惨遭屠杀。
• If we forget the massacre,the massacre will happen again!忘记了大屠杀，大屠杀就有可能再次发生！

5 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

6 random   

adj.随机的；任意的；n.偶然的(或随便的)行动

参考例句：

• The list is arranged in a random order.名单排列不分先后。
• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。

7 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。

8 convoy   

vt.护送，护卫，护航；n.护送；护送队

参考例句：

• The convoy was snowed up on the main road.护送队被大雪困在干路上了。
• Warships will accompany the convoy across the Atlantic.战舰将护送该船队过大西洋。

9 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

10 provincial   

adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes.城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。
• Two leading cadres came down from the provincial capital yesterday.昨天从省里下来了两位领导干部。

11 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

12 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

13 prosecute   

vt.告发；进行；vi.告发，起诉，作检察官

参考例句：

• I am trying my best to prosecute my duties.我正在尽力履行我的职责。
• Is there enough evidence to prosecute?有没有起诉的足够证据？

14 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。