VOA标准英语2011--Rights Group Says 300 Arrested at Papua Rally

Rights Group Says 300 Arrested at Papua Rally

 

In Indonesia's Papua province, Human Rights Watch says police arrested more than 300 protesters at a political rally where separatists declared independence from Indonesian rule on Wednesday. Demonstrators also called for the closure of the local Freeport McMoran gold and copper¹ mine, where operations have been halted by occasionally violent labor² strikes. Locals in Papua province have long felt marginalized.

The unrest in Jayapura on Wednesday began when Indonesian soldiers fired warning shots into the air as high-profile West Papuan leaders declared their independence from Indonesia. Indonesian military forces beat protestors with rattan³ canes⁴ and batons⁵ outside the planned congress attended by 5,000 people.

Protestors at the congress also raised the controversial Morning Star Flag, a symbol of West Papuan Independence, and an act that carries lengthy⁶ jail terms.

Papua police announced Thursday that there were two fatalities⁷ from the independence rally, and that five suspects implicated⁸ in the riot, including some high profile Papuan independence leaders, have been charged with treason and possession of weapons.

Papuanese who attended the Third Papuan People Congress climb a fence after police and troops dispersed9 the crowd at the event in Abepura in Indonesia's Papua province, October 19, 2011.

Demonstrators also aired grievances¹⁰ about labor conditions at Papua's Freeport mine, which was temporarily closed after ongoing¹¹ strikes and security concerns this week.

But Jakarta-based risk analyst¹² Todd Elliot says there is no direct link between the labor movement and calls for independence in West Papua.

"I don't think there is a direct relationship between the congress and the labor problems at Freeport," said Elliot. "But I do I think they are both fueled by some underlying¹³ currents of native Papuans feeling marginalized and not treated fairly."

Papuan activist¹⁴ Dorus Wakum says that for many native Papuans, the government and Freeport have become synonymous with human rights abuses and growing inequality.

"Why has the congress declared that Freeport be closed? Because they see that Freeport don't give benefit[s to] the Papuan people. So it's a problem," said Wakum.

Yohannes Sulamain is a lecturer at the Indonesia National Defense¹⁵ University in Jakarta. He says the problems stem from a lack of education and corruption¹⁶ that siphons off much of the government budget, and stops Papuans from securing well-paid jobs at Freeport.

"There is huge corruption in the ministry¹⁷ of education," said Sulamain. "It makes the situation worse and worse. So I cannot really blame the Papuans for saying they are kind of pissed off with Freeport and the government, because they don't see the government do anything for them, they don't see them care enough about the locals."

Wednesday's Papuan congress was the third of its kind. The last one was held more than a decade ago.

West Papua is one of the poorest regions in Indonesia, but the province also has a wealth of natural resources. Separatists have called for independence from Indonesia for decades and while the province has been granted special autonomy, West Papua remains¹⁸ a sensitive issue.

The central government in Jakarta has yet to make a statement about the congress, a response that analyst Todd Elliot says is characteristic of the current government's approach to Papua.

"I think what is noticeable is the lack of response from the Indonesian government," added Elliot. "There has been a noticeable lack of attention to Papua in the current administration and the previous Yudhoyono administration despite calls from a number of people, including some prominent current and former officials and ministers urging for peaceful dialogue and resolution to the problems in Papua. Things happen and you don't hear anything from the state palace or anyone."

The five suspects charged with treason and possession of weapons face between six and 20 years in prison.

1 copper   

n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的

参考例句：

• The students are asked to prove the purity of copper.要求学生们检验铜的纯度。
• Copper is a good medium for the conduction of heat and electricity.铜是热和电的良导体。

2 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

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

3 rattan   

n.藤条，藤杖

参考例句：

• When they reached a long bridge fastened with rattan strips,everyone got out and walked.走到那顶藤条扎的长桥，大家都下车步行。
• Rattan furniture,include rattan chair,rattan table,and so on.藤器家具包括藤椅藤桌等等。

4 canes   

n.（某些植物，如竹或甘蔗的）茎( cane的名词复数 )；（用于制作家具等的）竹竿；竹杖

参考例句：

• Sugar canes eat sweet. 甘蔗吃起来很甜。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I saw several sugar canes, but wild, and for cultivation, imperfect. 我还看到一些甘蔗，因为是野生的，未经人工栽培，所以不太好吃。 来自英汉 - 翻译样例 - 文学

5 batons   

n.（警察武器）警棍( baton的名词复数 )；（乐队指挥用的）指挥棒；接力棒

参考例句：

• There were many riot policemen with batons. 有许多带警棍的防暴警察。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Chinese police fight? Number one is a person with batons to fight! 满街飘的中国国旗，是一个老华侨在事发时那出来分给大家的，很感动，真的，从来一向多一事不如少一事的中国人今天团结到一起站出来反抗。 来自互联网

6 lengthy   

adj.漫长的，冗长的

参考例句：

• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。
• The professor wrote a lengthy book on Napoleon.教授写了一部有关拿破仑的巨著。

7 fatalities   

n.恶性事故( fatality的名词复数 )；死亡；致命性；命运

参考例句：

• Several people were injured, but there were no fatalities. 有几个人受伤，但没有人死亡。
• The accident resulted in fatalities. 那宗意外道致多人死亡。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 implicated   

adj.密切关联的；牵涉其中的

参考例句：

• These groups are very strongly implicated in the violence. 这些组织与这起暴力事件有着极大的关联。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Having the stolen goods in his possession implicated him in the robbery. 因藏有赃物使他涉有偷盗的嫌疑。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

9 dispersed   

adj. 被驱散的, 被分散的, 散布的

参考例句：

• The clouds dispersed themselves. 云散了。
• After school the children dispersed to their homes. 放学后，孩子们四散回家了。

10 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》

11 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

12 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

13 underlying   

adj.在下面的，含蓄的，潜在的

参考例句：

• The underlying theme of the novel is very serious.小说隐含的主题是十分严肃的。
• This word has its underlying meaning.这个单词有它潜在的含义。

14 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

15 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。

16 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

17 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

18 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。