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VOA慢速英语2013 抗议威胁泰国旅游业

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AS IT IS 2013-12-10 Protests Threaten Thai Travel Industry 抗议威胁泰国旅游业

From VOA Learning English, welcome to As It Is.  I’m Steve Ember in Washington.

Today we tell about how continuing disputes between protesters and government supporters in Thailand may affect the country’s travel industry.

Then we turn to Pakistan to hear about a film that has brought new life to the country’s movie industry.  But critics say it may add to existing tensions with  Pakistan’s neighbor, India. 

Our first stop today is Thailand’s capital, Bangkok.  Business groups are raising concerns about recent protests in the city.  They say the political tensions could  cause harm to the economy.  VOA’s reporter in Bangkok says Thailand’s travel industry is already feeling the effects of the unrest – just before the normally busy  Christmas holiday season.

Thailand’s banks and business groups are calling on protesters and Thai government supporters to stop demonstrating and negotiate a settlement.  Some business  organizations are even offering to negotiate to avoid possible long-term economic damage.  The credit ratings agency Moody’s Investor1 Service agrees that investments  could suffer if the tensions continue.

Thailand’s economic growth has decreased to less than three percent from better than five percent earlier.  A World Bank report said a lack of export growth slowed  the economy.  Business and capital spending have slowed.  And, industry studies show that businesses have growing negative feelings about the country’s financial  climate. 

Supavud Saicheua is managing director of the investment house Phatra Securities.  He says foreigners are being more careful about investing in Thailand.

“It all looked fairly normal up to the 31st of October  – and then November was a whole different ballgame.  Lots of investors2 have basically stopped to think and  stopped to watch.  They haven’t said that they’re going to cancel their projects.  But they’re saying ‘Okay, hold on, let’s see what happens.”

The more cautious climate began when Parliament’s lower house passed an amended3 amnesty bill.  The measure could have let former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra  return from exile and not face jail for corruption4.  Thaksin Shinawatra is the older brother of current Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.  He was ousted5 from power  in 2006.

The measure did not go forward.  But that fact has not done much to reduce street gatherings6 and clashes. 

Chris Baker7 is a writer and commentator8 on Thai politics.  Mr. Baker says important business investors from Japan and Korea are less worried by the protests.  But, he  says that even so, the political conflict in Thailand over the last eight years could have an overall effect on investors’ behavior. 

“There’s a feeling there is a sort of long term escalation9 going on

which could seriously affect business here, particularly of course if the army has to move in again.  People are quite worried.”                

In recent weeks, about 30 countries have warned their citizens to be careful about traveling to Thailand.  Usually, two million visitors arrive each month.  But the  travel industry is estimating that about 10 percent of those visitors will cancel their plans.

Thai travel industry operator Luzi Matzig is chief executive officer of Asian Trails Group.  He says travel warnings hurt the tourism industry, but so far the effect  on the visitor industry is still not major. 

But if the demonstrations10 continue, Mr. Matzig says the travel industry could lose 15 to 20 percent of business next year.

It’s As It Is, coming to you from VOA Learning English. I’m Steve Ember.

New Pakistani film may add to tensions with India...

Now we go to Pakistan, where many people are crowding theaters to see a new movie.

The Pakistani film industry has had few really successful movies in recent years. But the movie “Waar”, or “Attack”, has changed that. It has earned the most money  in ticket sales ever for a Pakistani film.  Christopher Cruise tells us more.

The movie tells the story of a former military hero who saves Pakistan. Critics say the movie suggests India is the enemy. And they say that suggestion deepens the  tensions between Pakistan and its neighbor.                     

Still, some people praise the film because it is based on true situations in Pakistan -- like the fight against terrorism. At least, that is the opinion of Nawab  Hassan Siddique, who made the film available to theaters.

“In the history of Pakistan, there has never been such a huge hit [success], neither by an Indian film nor a Hollywood movie. The credit goes to Pakistan, that a  Pakistani picture has earned such huge ticket sales.”

Indian dance films are popular in Pakistan. But the Pakistani film “Waar” is different. Its hero is Major Mujtaba, a former member of the country’s special forces.  It shows questioning of suspects with lots of blood.

 “Waar” never shows where the enemy is from. But many moviegoers are sure they are from India. And that has caused criticism. Military expert Ayeesha Siddiqa says  what some people believe is material condemning11 India is not helpful. She says that is true because relations between the two countries are already tense. 

“You don’t need these bunch of citizens, innocent citizens, thinking the same way. They will end up supporting those radicals12.”

Hassan Waqas Rana wrote and produced the film. He says he wanted it to start people talking.

 “It’s a film. It’s not the strategic policy of the government of Pakistan.  It’s a film that I have written in my own room. I may be 100 percent wrong. I may be  100 percent right. You never know. That’s the whole point of being a filmer.”

Mr. Rana dismisses suggestions that Pakistan’s powerful military helped pay for the film. He admits the army helped with suggestions about military actions and  planning to make the film more realistic. But he says he wrote and financed the movie himself.

The great success of “Waar” has led to ten other films being made in Pakistan.

Mr. Rana is now showing his film to movie theatre owners in other countries.   I’m Christopher Cruise

And I’m Steve Ember.  You are listening to As It Is from VOA Learning English.

And, we remember American Poet Emily Dickinson...

And now we remember a great American poet, Emily Dickinson.  She was born in Amherst, Massachusetts on December 10th, 1830.

Only a small amount of her work was published during her lifetime.  Most of her poems were recovered after Emily Dickinson’s death in 1886.  She had written the poems  on small pieces of paper or on the backs of envelopes.  They were published over many years.

Some of her best known works are “Hope is the Thing with Feathers”, “We Grow Accustomed to the Dark”, and “A Little East of Jordan.” 

Poems are nice, because they rhyme.

But here we are, once again, out of time.

If it’s news you choose, we have that power

VOA News comes at the top of the hour

As It Is is a production of VOA Learning English

And since English is a hard word to rhyme

I’ll simply say:

Steve Ember here, 

See you next time.


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1 investor aq4zNm     
n.投资者,投资人
参考例句:
  • My nephew is a cautious investor.我侄子是个小心谨慎的投资者。
  • The investor believes that his investment will pay off handsomely soon.这个投资者相信他的投资不久会有相当大的收益。
2 investors dffc64354445b947454450e472276b99     
n.投资者,出资者( investor的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
  • a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会
3 Amended b2abcd9d0c12afefe22fd275996593e0     
adj. 修正的 动词amend的过去式和过去分词
参考例句:
  • He asked to see the amended version. 他要求看修订本。
  • He amended his speech by making some additions and deletions. 他对讲稿作了些增删修改。
4 corruption TzCxn     
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。
5 ousted 1c8f4f95f3bcc86657d7ec7543491ed6     
驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 ); 革职; 罢黜; 剥夺
参考例句:
  • He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
  • He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。
6 gatherings 400b026348cc2270e0046708acff2352     
聚集( gathering的名词复数 ); 收集; 采集; 搜集
参考例句:
  • His conduct at social gatherings created a lot of comment. 他在社交聚会上的表现引起许多闲话。
  • During one of these gatherings a pupil caught stealing. 有一次,其中一名弟子偷窃被抓住。
7 baker wyTz62     
n.面包师
参考例句:
  • The baker bakes his bread in the bakery.面包师在面包房内烤面包。
  • The baker frosted the cake with a mixture of sugar and whites of eggs.面包师在蛋糕上撒了一层白糖和蛋清的混合料。
8 commentator JXOyu     
n.注释者,解说者;实况广播评论员
参考例句:
  • He is a good commentator because he can get across the game.他能简单地解说这场比赛,是个好的解说者。
  • The commentator made a big mistake during the live broadcast.在直播节目中评论员犯了个大错误。
9 escalation doZxW     
n.扩大,增加
参考例句:
  • The threat of nuclear escalation remains. 核升级的威胁仍旧存在。 来自辞典例句
  • Escalation is thus an aspect of deterrence and of crisis management. 因此逐步升级是威慑和危机处理的一个方面。 来自辞典例句
10 demonstrations 0922be6a2a3be4bdbebd28c620ab8f2d     
证明( demonstration的名词复数 ); 表明; 表达; 游行示威
参考例句:
  • Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
  • The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。
11 condemning 3c571b073a8d53beeff1e31a57d104c0     
v.(通常因道义上的原因而)谴责( condemn的现在分词 );宣判;宣布…不能使用;迫使…陷于不幸的境地
参考例句:
  • The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。
  • I concur with the speaker in condemning what has been done. 我同意发言者对所做的事加以谴责。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
12 radicals 5c853925d2a610c29b107b916c89076e     
n.激进分子( radical的名词复数 );根基;基本原理;[数学]根数
参考例句:
  • Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals. 一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The worry is that the radicals will grow more intransigent. 现在人们担忧激进分子会变得更加不妥协。 来自辞典例句

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