VOA标准英语2014--泰国海鲜产业否认贩卖人口的指控

 

Thailand Seafood¹ Industry Denies Human Trafficking Allegations 泰国海鲜产业否认贩卖人口的指控

BANGKOK — Thailand reels in more than $7 billion annually² as the world’s third largest exporter of seafood, but the industry has been tainted³ by links to human trafficking. 

Leaders of Thailand’s shrimp⁴ and tuna suppliers say they are being unfairly maligned⁵, causing damage to their businesses which employ hundreds of thousands of people. 

Thailand’s fishing industry relies on migrant labor⁶. Rights groups and Western media have uncovered evidence of a brutal⁷ system of slavery utilizing⁸ trafficked workers.

Min Min Chan, from Myanmar, claims that eight years ago, at the age of 17, he was tricked by a recruiter and sold to a Thai fishing boat for little more than $600.

He says for several years he toiled⁹ on the ship with little sleep, water or food. And when he became seriously ill, the captain told him not to stop working.

“I thought it was better to die by jumping into the water than to die by being tortured by these people," the former seafood worker said. "When I was about to jump, my friend grabbed me from behind and saved my life.” 

He later escaped and hid out on Indonesia’s Ambon island until this year when he was repatriated¹⁰ by the International Organization For Migration¹¹.

Such testimony¹² has led to Thailand being listed among the worst violators of trafficking in persons.

In an annual report released Friday, the U.S. State Department cites surveys that show between 17 and 57 percent of those in Thailand’s seafood industry work against their will.

Those statistics are rejected by industry officials here, who question the sources and reliability¹³ of the data.

The Thai Tuna Industry Association, formed last year, says it allows external verification to ensure workers are treated ethically¹⁴.

At a news conference Tuesday, a coalition¹⁵ of Thailand’s frozen shrimp industry said, “There is no slavery involved in the shrimp supply chain.”

Industry leader Panisuan Jamnarnwej says Thailand’s prawns¹⁶ have been clean of exploitive labor for years.

The former president of the Thai Frozen Foods Association says the industry cannot risk concealing¹⁷ damaging information.

“Consumer perception, we have to work on. We have to provide the truth," said Panisuan Jamnarnwej. "If we keep lying, sooner or later, they’ll discover it and it’ll be even worse than what’s happening at the moment.”

The publicity¹⁸ is having an impact.

Some major international retailers¹⁹ are dropping suppliers linked to the allegations of slavery and overseas buyers plan to work with non-governmental organizations to try to ensure that there is no forced labor in the supply chain.

1 seafood   

n.海产食品，海味，海鲜

参考例句：

• There's an excellent seafood restaurant near here.离这儿不远有家非常不错的海鲜馆。
• Shrimps are a popular type of seafood.小虾是比较普遍的一种海味。

2 annually   

adv.一年一次，每年

参考例句：

• Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
• They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。

3 tainted   

adj.腐坏的；污染的；沾污的；感染的v.使变质( taint的过去式和过去分词 )；使污染；败坏；被污染，腐坏，败坏

参考例句：

• The administration was tainted with scandal. 丑闻使得政府声名狼藉。
• He was considered tainted by association with the corrupt regime. 他因与腐败政府有牵连而名誉受损。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 shrimp   

n.虾，小虾；矮小的人

参考例句：

• When the shrimp farm is built it will block the stream.一旦养虾场建起来，将会截断这条河流。
• When it comes to seafood,I like shrimp the best.说到海鲜，我最喜欢虾。

5 maligned   

vt.污蔑，诽谤（malign的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• She feels she has been much maligned by the press. 她觉得她遭到了新闻界的恣意诽谤。
• We maligned him dreadfully when you come to think of it. 回头想想，我们狠狠地中伤了他。 来自辞典例句

6 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。

7 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

8 utilizing   

v.利用，使用( utilize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Utilizing an assembler to produce a machine-language program. 用汇编程序产生机器语言的过程。 来自辞典例句
• The study and use of devices utilizing properties of materials near absolute zero in temperature. 对材料在接近绝对零度时的特性进行研究和利用的学科。 来自辞典例句

9 toiled   

长时间或辛苦地工作( toil的过去式和过去分词 )； 艰难缓慢地移动，跋涉

参考例句：

• They toiled up the hill in the blazing sun. 他们冒着炎炎烈日艰难地一步一步爬上山冈。
• He toiled all day long but earned very little. 他整天劳碌但挣得很少。

10 repatriated   

v.把（某人）遣送回国，遣返( repatriate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The refugees were forcibly repatriated. 难民被强制遣送回国。
• Ancient artworks were repatriated from the US to Greece. 古代艺术品从美国遣送回希腊。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

12 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

13 reliability   

n.可靠性，确实性

参考例句：

• We mustn't presume too much upon the reliability of such sources.我们不应过分指望这类消息来源的可靠性。
• I can assure you of the reliability of the information.我向你保证这消息可靠。

14 ethically   

adv.在伦理上，道德上

参考例句：

• Ethically , we have nothing to be ashamed about . 从伦理上说，我们没有什么好羞愧的。
• Describe the appropriate action to take in an ethically ambiguous situation. 描述适当行为采取在一个道德地模棱两可的情况。

15 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

16 prawns   

n.对虾，明虾( prawn的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Mine was a picture of four translucent prawns, with two small fish swimming above them. 给我画的是四只虾，半透明的，上画有两条小鱼。 来自汉英文学 - 现代散文
• Shall we get some shrimp and prawns? 我们要不要买些小虾和对虾？ 来自无师自通 校园英语会话

17 concealing   

v.隐藏，隐瞒，遮住( conceal的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Despite his outward display of friendliness, I sensed he was concealing something. 尽管他表现得友善，我还是感觉到他有所隐瞒。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• SHE WAS BREAKING THE COMPACT, AND CONCEALING IT FROM HIM. 她违反了他们之间的约定，还把他蒙在鼓里。 来自英汉文学 - 三万元遗产

18 publicity   

n.众所周知，闻名；宣传，广告

参考例句：

• The singer star's marriage got a lot of publicity.这位歌星的婚事引起了公众的关注。
• He dismissed the event as just a publicity gimmick.他不理会这件事，只当它是一种宣传手法。

19 retailers   

零售商，零售店( retailer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• High street retailers reported a marked increase in sales before Christmas. 商业街的零售商报告说圣诞节前销售量显著提高。
• Retailers have a statutory duty to provide goods suitable for their purpose. 零售商有为他们提供符合要求的货品的法定义务。