VOA标准英语2010年-UN Says Terrorist Threat Worsens Treat

The U.N. refugee agency says there has been an alarming deterioration¹ in the treatment of uprooted² Somali civilians³, both inside Somalia and in the surrounding region. Agency officials say Somali civilians are suffering a backlash from recent terrorist attacks.

 The U.N. refugee agency reports a rise in xenophobic incidents against Somali civilians, both inside Somalia and in neighboring countries. In the wake of recent terrorist attacks in the region, officials say displaced Somalis are being rounded up and deported⁴.

The UNHCR says Somali communities are the frequent victims of verbal and physical harassment⁵, as well as arrests, arbitrary detention⁶, extortion and even push backs of Somali refugees.

For example, U.N. refugee spokeswoman, Melissa Fleming, says the Somali community in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi has come under suspicion. She says Somalis are increasingly being arrested and detained until they can prove they are refugees. Then they are released.

"We believe this is having a corroding⁷ effect on the traditionally quite positive relations between the host communities and Somali refugees, many of whom have spent decades in exile," Fleming said. "One thing we are particularly worried about is the action by the local authorities of Somalia's Puntland region. On Tuesday and Wednesday this week, they pushed back more than 900 internally displaced people into the conflict zone in Central Somalia." 

Fleming says some of the deportees, mainly Somali men between the ages of 18 and 25, are being detained in the town of Gaalkacyo. She says the U.N. refugee agency and other aid groups are providing them with food, water, medical assistance and blankets.

The UNHCR is calling on the Puntland authorities to halt these push backs. Fleming says her organization believes people fleeing Southern and Central Somalia are in need of international protection. She says forcing people to return to that part of the country is putting their lives at grave risk.

"We fear that those who have fled, fled for very good reason," Fleming added. "Young men in the age group of between 18 and 25 are very often targeted for recruitment by al-Shabab. So…we definitely are extremely concerned about any populations having to return to a place where fighting is raging, violence is indiscriminate and lives are being lost every day."

The United Nations calls Somalia one of the world's worst crises. It says current conditions there are particularly dire⁸. During the past three weeks alone, the United Nations reports 18,000 people have been displaced, 112 killed and around 250 wounded.

 

1 deterioration   

n.退化；恶化；变坏

参考例句：

• Mental and physical deterioration both occur naturally with age. 随着年龄的增长，心智和体力自然衰退。
• The car's bodywork was already showing signs of deterioration. 这辆车的车身已经显示出了劣化迹象。

2 uprooted   

v.把（某物）连根拔起( uproot的过去式和过去分词 )；根除；赶走；把…赶出家园

参考例句：

• Many people were uprooted from their homes by the flood. 水灾令许多人背井离乡。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The hurricane blew with such force that trees were uprooted. 飓风强烈地刮着，树都被连根拔起了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

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 deported   

v.将…驱逐出境( deport的过去式和过去分词 )；举止

参考例句：

• They stripped me of my citizenship and deported me. 他们剥夺我的公民资格，将我驱逐出境。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The convicts were deported to a deserted island. 罪犯们被流放到一个荒岛。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 harassment   

n.骚扰，扰乱，烦恼，烦乱

参考例句：

• She often got telephone harassment at night these days.这些天她经常在夜晚受到电话骚扰。
• The company prohibits any form of harassment.公司禁止任何形式的骚扰行为。

6 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。

7 corroding   

使腐蚀，侵蚀( corrode的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• That sour nature has started corroding those metal parts. 那酸质已开始腐蚀那金属部件。
• He was driven by a corroding rage for "perfection". 他受追求“完美境界”的极端热情所驱策。

8 dire   

adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的

参考例句：

• There were dire warnings about the dangers of watching too much TV.曾经有人就看电视太多的危害性提出严重警告。
• We were indeed in dire straits.But we pulled through.那时我们的困难真是大极了，但是我们渡过了困难。