联合国促澳大利亚带头打击亚洲毒品走私

UN Wants Australia to Take Lead Against Asian Drug Traffic 联合国促澳大利亚带头打击亚洲毒品走私

From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report.

United Nations officials say they have recently seen an increase in the production of amphetamine-type stimulants² (ATS) in Southeast Asia. ATS drugs – such as Ecstasy³ or methamphetamines – are on the rise in Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.

Officials are concerned because the area has long been known as a center for heroin⁴ trafficking. But unlike heroin, which is grown from plants, ATS drugs can be very easy and inexpensive to make. They can also be highly addictive⁵.

How much drugs are we talking about?

In 2015, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reported seizures⁶ of about 27,000 kilograms of methamphetamine chunks⁷ and 286 million methamphetamine pills in the area. Seizures of chemicals needed to produce such drugs are also increasing.

Methamphetamine has many street names, or nicknames. It is often known as “crystal meth” or simply “meth.” In some parts of Asia it is called “ice.”

Australia and New Zealand

Jeremy Douglas is a representative for the Asia area of the UNODC. He says Asian criminal organizations are starting to produce high purity crystal meth to sell in Australia and New Zealand. The organizations are targeting those countries because many people there have high incomes and use drugs.

Douglas says officials are "seizing large amounts of crystal meth” at Australia's borders, airports and ports.

In an interview with a VOA reporter in Bangkok, Douglas warned that the amount of ATS drugs across Asia is a “big, big concern.” He added that currently Asia is being flooded with the “highly addictive crystal meth.”

International task forces to combat drug trafficking

Since late 2015, Australia's Federal Police have signed agreements with China and Thailand to combat drug trafficking into Australia. These cooperative agreements are often called task forces.

Australia’s Federal Police chief commissioner⁸ Andrew Colvin said the task force agreements are very important. He adds that bringing security to these Asian areas is in the best interest of Australia’s domestic health.

Colvin said the new task force with Thailand will focus on “human trafficking, money laundering⁹, counter-narcotics¹⁰ in particular."

Thai narcotics officials and the UNODC say Australia's operational experience in fighting drug smuggling¹¹ can benefit its neighbors in the Association of South East Asian Nations.

Officials point out that increased trade and looser border restrictions¹² under the ASEAN Economic Community create opportunities for organized crime to move drugs and drug-making chemicals more easily across borders.

UNODC's Douglas agrees that Australian law enforcement could play a larger role in supporting the area's efforts to fight drug trafficking. He said U.N. support can help overcome any political difficulties that may happen.

He says that the agreement between Thailand and Australia is “great.” He says the UNODC encourages that kind of agreement. But for this to work, he adds, this effort “needs to involve many, many countries at one time.”

Words in This Story

amphetamine – n. a drug that causes the nervous system to become more active so that a person feels more energy and mental excitement

stimulant¹ – n. something (such as a drug) that makes you more active or gives you more energy

street name – n. an informal term for something, especially an illegal drug

purity – n. the quality or state of being pure

flood - v. to fill abundantly or excessively <flood the market>

task force – n. a group of people who deal with a specific problem

counter-narcotics – prefix¹³ as a reaction against

smuggling – v. to move (someone or something) from one country into another illegally and secretly

1 stimulant   

n.刺激物，兴奋剂

参考例句：

• It is used in medicine for its stimulant quality.由于它有兴奋剂的特性而被应用于医学。
• Musk is used for perfume and stimulant.麝香可以用作香料和兴奋剂。

2 stimulants   

n.兴奋剂( stimulant的名词复数 )；含兴奋剂的饮料；刺激物；激励物

参考例句：

• Coffee and tea are mild stimulants. 咖啡和茶是轻度兴奋剂。
• At lower concentrations they may even be stimulants of cell division. 在浓度较低时，它们甚至能促进细胞分裂。 来自辞典例句

3 ecstasy   

n.狂喜，心醉神怡，入迷

参考例句：

• He listened to the music with ecstasy.他听音乐听得入了神。
• Speechless with ecstasy,the little boys gazed at the toys.小孩注视着那些玩具，高兴得说不出话来。

4 heroin   

n.海洛因

参考例句：

• Customs have made their biggest ever seizure of heroin.海关查获了有史以来最大的一批海洛因。
• Heroin has been smuggled out by sea.海洛因已从海上偷运出境。

5 addictive   

adj.(吸毒等)使成瘾的，成为习惯的

参考例句：

• The problem with video game is that they're addictive.电子游戏机的问题在于它们会使人上瘾。
• Cigarettes are highly addictive.香烟很容易使人上瘾。

6 seizures   

n.起获( seizure的名词复数 )；没收；充公；起获的赃物

参考例句：

• Seizures of illicit drugs have increased by 30% this year. 今年违禁药品的扣押增长了30%。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Other causes of unconsciousness predisposing to aspiration lung abscess are convulsive seizures. 造成吸入性肺脓肿昏迷的其他原因，有惊厥发作。 来自辞典例句

7 chunks   

厚厚的一块( chunk的名词复数 )； （某物）相当大的数量或部分

参考例句：

• a tin of pineapple chunks 一罐菠萝块
• Those chunks of meat are rather large—could you chop them up a bIt'smaller? 这些肉块相当大，还能再切小一点吗？

8 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

9 laundering   

n.洗涤（衣等），洗烫（衣等）；洗（钱）v.洗（衣服等），洗烫（衣服等）( launder的现在分词 )；洗（黑钱）（把非法收入改头换面，变为貌似合法的收入）

参考例句：

• Separate the white clothes from the dark clothes before laundering. 洗衣前应当把浅色衣服和深色衣服分开。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He was charged with laundering money. 他被指控洗钱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 narcotics   

n.麻醉药( narcotic的名词复数 )；毒品；毒

参考例句：

• The use of narcotics by teenagers is a problem in many countries. 青少年服用麻醉药在许多国家中都是一个问题。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Police shook down the club, looking for narcotics. 警方彻底搜查了这个俱乐部，寻找麻醉品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 smuggling   

n.走私

参考例句：

• Some claimed that the docker's union fronted for the smuggling ring.某些人声称码头工人工会是走私集团的掩护所。
• The evidence pointed to the existence of an international smuggling network.证据表明很可能有一个国际走私网络存在。

12 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

13 prefix   

n.前缀；vt.加…作为前缀；置于前面

参考例句：

• We prefix "Mr."to a man's name.我们在男士的姓名前加“先生”。
• In the word "unimportant ","un-" is a prefix.在单词“unimportant”中“un”是前缀。