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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
A human rights group has accused Western oil firms of whitewashing1 abuses connected with a gas pipeline2 in Burma. The group also says Burma's military government has siphoned billions of dollars from the project, helping3 to keep them in power.
Workers at Total's billion-dollar gas project in southeastern Burma for the construction of a controversial natural gas pipeline from the Yadana field (1996 file)
EarthRights International says security forces for the Yadana gas pipeline running from Burma to Thailand confiscated4 land, forced villagers into labor5, and even murdered.
The U.S.-based rights group made the accusations6 in two reports released to journalists in Bangkok.
The group says French oil firms Total and American Chevron7, the main investors8 in the pipeline, used inaccurate9 and misleading information to give favorable assessments10 of the project's effect on villages.
Matthew Smith is a Burma project coordinator11 with EarthRights International. He says there is a strong case for complicity in the abuses.
"In this case, the impact assessments that were commissioned by Total ... these impact assessments [were] primarily used as a public relations tool by the companies," he said.
A spokeswoman for Total told VOA the company received the report Thursday and the allegations are being studied. She said it would be premature12 to have an official response at this time.
Total had denied earlier reports of forced labor in the pipeline area.
Chevron did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
EarthRights International says Burma's military government has siphoned nearly $5 billion from the gas revenues and hidden them in two Singapore banks.
Smith says the laundered13 funds are helping Burma's military rulers to avoid the effects of economic sanctions.
"As long as the military regime has easy access to these funds in Singapore, we feel like it has little incentive14 to change," he said. "And, we are encouraging the international community to use this as a leverage15 point to support the people of Burma."
The two banks, the Overseas Chinese Banking16 Corporation and the DBS Group, both denied the allegations.
1 whitewashing | |
粉饰,美化,掩饰( whitewash的现在分词 ); 喷浆 | |
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2 pipeline | |
n.管道,管线 | |
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3 helping | |
n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的 | |
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4 confiscated | |
没收,充公( confiscate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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5 labor | |
n.劳动,努力,工作,劳工;分娩;vi.劳动,努力,苦干;vt.详细分析;麻烦 | |
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6 accusations | |
n.指责( accusation的名词复数 );指控;控告;(被告发、控告的)罪名 | |
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7 chevron | |
n.V形臂章;V形图案 | |
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8 investors | |
n.投资者,出资者( investor的名词复数 ) | |
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9 inaccurate | |
adj.错误的,不正确的,不准确的 | |
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10 assessments | |
n.评估( assessment的名词复数 );评价;(应偿付金额的)估定;(为征税对财产所作的)估价 | |
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11 coordinator | |
n.协调人 | |
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12 premature | |
adj.比预期时间早的;不成熟的,仓促的 | |
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13 laundered | |
v.洗(衣服等),洗烫(衣服等)( launder的过去式和过去分词 );洗(黑钱)(把非法收入改头换面,变为貌似合法的收入) | |
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14 incentive | |
n.刺激;动力;鼓励;诱因;动机 | |
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15 leverage | |
n.力量,影响;杠杆作用,杠杆的力量 | |
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16 banking | |
n.银行业,银行学,金融业 | |
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