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(单词翻译)
By Patricia Nunan
Kathmandu
19 April 2006
A police personnel stands next to a car that was burnt during a demonstration1 against King Gyanendra in Kathmandu
Diplomatic efforts to stop Nepal from falling deeper into crisis are continuing, with the arrival Wednesday of an Indian envoy2 offering to mediate3 between King Gyanendra and those who want him to relinquish4 power. The arrival comes as anti-monarchy5 protests continue into their 14th day, and ahead of nationwide protests planned for Thursday.
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Indian envoy Karan Singh says New Delhi does not want to interfere6 in Nepal's internal affairs, but it also does not want its neighboring country to fall into chaos7. Singh was expected to meet with King Gyanendra and politicians ahead of demonstrations8 planned for Thursday, which some fear may turn violent.
Demonstrators have taken to the streets of Nepal's capital for the past two weeks, and a nationwide strike called by a coalition9 of political parties has brought the country to a virtual standstill. Residents complain that prices of basic commodities have risen, and some food is in short supply.
At times, the demonstrations have turned violent, with security forces firing rubber bullets into crowds and beating protesters. So far, at least six people have died, and there were reports of the police shooting several more in the eastern part of the country on Wednesday.
Opposition10 party supporters shout slogans as policemen block them in Kathmandu
Leaders of an alliance of seven mainstream11 political parties predict that hundreds of thousands of people across the country will join the protests Thursday, in defiance12 of a government ban.
Opposition member J.N. Khanal says the demonstrators will break through police barriers to demonstrate in the heart of the capital.
"We will have to encircle the palace, encircle King Gyanendra," he said. "And he's not listening [to] our voice, the people's voice. We have to make him hear."
The protesters want the king to restore the democratic freedoms he revoked13 in February last year, when he dismissed parliament and curbed14 media and civil liberties.
The police began a pattern of repeatedly arresting hundreds of activists15 and opposition leaders over the following months. Hundreds are now reportedly in detention16 after the latest wave of arrests earlier this month.
King Gyanendra said he was forced to act because Nepal's political parties did little to stop the country's ten-year old communist insurgency17. The rebels, who call themselves Maoists, want to topple the monarchy.
Analysts18 fear Thursday's demonstrations could be the most violent Nepal has seen.
The spokesman for the U.N. human rights office in Nepal, Kieran Dwyer, says rights workers have already witnessed several examples of the police using excessive force against protesters.
"Police firing rubber bullets into crowds of demonstrators, as well as police using latti charges - latties of course are long sticks…. One of the problems particularly with those is, we're seeing police often aiming at the head, and therefore sometimes causing serious injuries," he said. "We've also observed a pattern of severe beatings of individuals once they've already been brought under the control of the police."
The United States, India and the United Nations have repeatedly called for the king to restore democracy in Nepal and hold talks with the opposition.
The king has promised parliamentary elections next year, which he says will pave the way for a return to democracy. So far, he has remained largely unswayed by the political pressure being acted out in the streets.
1 demonstration | |
n.表明,示范,论证,示威 | |
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2 envoy | |
n.使节,使者,代表,公使 | |
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3 mediate | |
vi.调解,斡旋;vt.经调解解决;经斡旋促成 | |
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4 relinquish | |
v.放弃,撤回,让与,放手 | |
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5 monarchy | |
n.君主,最高统治者;君主政体,君主国 | |
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6 interfere | |
v.(in)干涉,干预;(with)妨碍,打扰 | |
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7 chaos | |
n.混乱,无秩序 | |
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8 demonstrations | |
证明( demonstration的名词复数 ); 表明; 表达; 游行示威 | |
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9 coalition | |
n.结合体,同盟,结合,联合 | |
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10 opposition | |
n.反对,敌对 | |
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11 mainstream | |
n.(思想或行为的)主流;adj.主流的 | |
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12 defiance | |
n.挑战,挑衅,蔑视,违抗 | |
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13 revoked | |
adj.[法]取消的v.撤销,取消,废除( revoke的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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14 curbed | |
v.限制,克制,抑制( curb的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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15 activists | |
n.(政治活动的)积极分子,活动家( activist的名词复数 ) | |
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16 detention | |
n.滞留,停留;拘留,扣留;(教育)留下 | |
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17 insurgency | |
n.起义;暴动;叛变 | |
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18 analysts | |
分析家,化验员( analyst的名词复数 ) | |
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