VOA标准英语2009年-Bangladesh Agrees to Pardon Rebel Border Guards

Bangladesh's government is granting amnesty to mutinous¹ border guards in exchange for them agreeing to peacefully return to their barracks. Bangladeshi media say several civilians³ were killed and two army colonels died in the early stage of the mutiny by the paramilitary group The Bangladesh Rifles.
　
Bangladeshi army troops take position outside the headquarters of The Bangladesh Rifles in Dhaka, 25 Feb 2009

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina quickly stepped in to try to defuse her first crisis since returning to power two months ago. She agreed to pardon border guards who rebelled earlier in the day, clashing with their army commanders at the Dhaka headquarters of the para-military force.

Speaking to reporters in Dhaka, one of the rebel representatives, identified as Bangladesh Rifles deputy assistant director Touhid, confirms a tentative deal has been made to end the mutiny.

Touhid says the rebels will surrender their weapons on Thursday because the prime minister has agreed to look into their demands.

A government spokesman tells VOA News that in exchange for a promise to end the mutiny, the rebels will not be charged and their grievances⁴ will be addressed in phases.
　
A Bangladeshi soldier holds his rifle as he and other troops gather outside Bangladesh Rifles headquarters complex in Dhaka, 25 Feb 2009

The border guards are demanding better pay and the removal of army officers from command of the Bangladesh Rifles, known as the BDR.

The agreement came after 14 rebels went to the prime minister's official residence for negotiations⁵ while gunshots continued to ring out at the BDR compound.

The army had earlier surrounded the campus-like BDR headquarters. Gunfire and occasional mortar⁶ blasts could be heard for several hours.

The mutiny threw part of Bangladesh's capital into panic, schoolchildren were trapped inside the compound as the army and border guards exchanged fire. A nearby shopping center was also reported to have been seized by mutineers.

Analysts⁷ point out that the BDR paramilitary force has long felt aggrieved⁸ that their commanders are solely⁹ composed of officers sent from the army. But research fellow Sreeradha Datta at India's Institute of Defense¹⁰ Studies and Analyses says this type of mutiny by the BDR appears unprecedented¹¹.

"Despite the fact that Bangladesh has a history of coups¹² and counter-coups and there are obviously some very strong fissures¹³ in the services, especially the army," said Sreeradha Datta. "But BDR, I do not recall any such incident in the past."

The paramilitary Bangladesh Rifles force is primarily tasked with protecting the South Asian nation's borders. It traces its history back to the late 18th century, in British colonial times. It has more than 65,000 personnel.

Prime Minister Hasina visited the BDR headquarters Tuesday to urge the troops to increase their discipline and remain vigilant¹⁴ to guard the country's borders.

Ms. Hasina, who was prime minister from 1996 to 2001, returned to power after a peaceful election in late December, succeeding a military-backed interim¹⁵ government.

The mutiny by the Bangladesh Rifles prompted India to heighten an alert along the shared 4,000-kilometer border.

The director-general of India's Border Security Force, Mahendra Lal Kumawat, says no incidents have been reported.

"We have asked our officers and men to remain fully² alert, vigilant and watch the situation along the border and take appropriate action in case action is needed," said Mahendra Lal Kumawat.

The external affairs minister, Pranab Mukherjee, told reporters the mutiny is an internal matter of Bangladesh but India wishes her neighbor all success in dealing¹⁶ with it.

1 mutinous   

adj.叛变的，反抗的；adv.反抗地，叛变地；n.反抗，叛变

参考例句：

• The mutinous sailors took control of the ship.反叛的水手们接管了那艘船。
• His own army,stung by defeats,is mutinous.经历失败的痛楚后，他所率军队出现反叛情绪。

2 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。

3 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

4 grievances   

n.委屈( grievance的名词复数 )；苦衷；不满；牢骚

参考例句：

• The trade union leader spoke about the grievances of the workers. 工会领袖述说工人们的苦情。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• He gave air to his grievances. 他申诉了他的冤情。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

6 mortar   

n.灰浆，灰泥；迫击炮；v.把…用灰浆涂接合

参考例句：

• The mason flushed the joint with mortar.泥工用灰浆把接缝处嵌平。
• The sound of mortar fire seemed to be closing in.迫击炮的吼声似乎正在逼近。

7 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。

8 aggrieved   

adj.愤愤不平的，受委屈的；悲痛的；（在合法权利方面）受侵害的v.令委屈，令苦恼，侵害( aggrieve的过去式)；令委屈，令苦恼，侵害( aggrieve的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• He felt aggrieved at not being chosen for the team. 他因没被选到队里感到愤愤不平。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She is the aggrieved person whose fiance&1& did not show up for their wedding. 她很委屈，她的未婚夫未出现在他们的婚礼上。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 solely   

adv.仅仅，唯一地

参考例句：

• Success should not be measured solely by educational achievement.成功与否不应只用学业成绩来衡量。
• The town depends almost solely on the tourist trade.这座城市几乎完全靠旅游业维持。

10 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

11 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

12 coups   

n.意外而成功的行动( coup的名词复数 )；政变；努力办到难办的事

参考例句：

• China has seen many political coups within the ruling class. 中国统治阶级内部发生过很多政变。 来自互联网
• Thailand has had eighteen coups or coup attendance since nineteen thirty-two. 泰国1932年以来有18次政变或参加政变。 来自互联网

13 fissures   

n.狭长裂缝或裂隙( fissure的名词复数 )；裂伤；分歧；分裂v.裂开( fissure的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Rising molten rock flows out on the ocean floor and caps the fissures, trapping the water. 上升熔岩流到海底并堵住了裂隙，结果把海水封在里面。 来自辞典例句
• The French have held two colloquia and an international symposium on rock fissures. 法国已经开了两次岩石裂缝方面的报告会和一个国际会议。 来自辞典例句

14 vigilant   

adj.警觉的，警戒的，警惕的

参考例句：

• He has to learn how to remain vigilant through these long nights.他得学会如何在这漫长的黑夜里保持警觉。
• The dog kept a vigilant guard over the house.这只狗警醒地守护着这所房屋。

15 interim   

adj.暂时的，临时的；n.间歇，过渡期间

参考例句：

• The government is taking interim measures to help those in immediate need.政府正在采取临时措施帮助那些有立即需要的人。
• It may turn out to be an interim technology.这可能只是个过渡技术。

16 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。