VOA慢速英语2021--缅甸军队将克伦族村民连根拔起

In Myanmar, Army Uproots¹ Ethnic² Karen Villagers

In the forests of southeastern Myanmar, aid workers say the army was shooting and arresting people long before last month's military overthrow³.

These largely unseen activities continue. In the country's rural southeast, the army has forced as many as 8,000 ethnic Karen people to flee their homes. International aid groups say it is the worst problem there in nearly 10 years.

The Karen are now living in the jungle. Many are worried about their health and security. There does not appear to be a way for them to return to their villages.

The crisis in this area has been forgotten since the government campaign against those protesting the overthrow that removed the government of Aung San Suu Kyi.

The crisis is a reminder⁴ of the force Myanmar's army has long used against civilians⁵, especially the country's ethnic minorities.

The Karen National Union (KNU) is the leading political organization for the Karen people. It works to meet the needs of the displaced by providing food, security and housing.

But Padoh Saw Taw Nee said they cannot do it forever. He is the head of the KNU's international department. He answered questions from reporters by email. "The international community should reach out with humanitarian⁶ assistance to these people who are in need as soon as possible," he said.

The Karen are among more than 12 ethnic groups in Myanmar that have been asking for greater independence from the central government. Myanmar, earlier known as Burma, became independent from Britain in 1948.

At times, some of the ethnic groups have had armed conflict with the government; in recent years, many have reached an uneasy ceasefire. They were in talks with Suu Kyi's government, but failed to reach an agreement before she was removed by the army.

The army has aggressively expanded its influence in at least two parts of Karen state since 2017. It has built new bases and roads to control the area. Aid organizations there say army activity and the number of soldiers have increased recently.

The Karen have their own armed force, the Karen National Liberation Army. It has fought against the government, causing government troops to bomb local villages.

Aid agencies say the 8,000 people who fled to the jungle are safe. They are trying to build shelters and open schools.

The Free Burma Rangers⁷ is a humanitarian group that has been bringing in aid since the attacks began. Its founder⁸ and director, Dave Eubank, is a former member of U.S. Special Forces. He organizes medical aid and food for villagers. He spoke⁹ to the Associated Press (AP) by telephone.

He said that stopping attacks by Myanmar's troops provides "security and survival." They are most important. But the Karen also need food, medical aid and shelter, he added.

In 2012, the Karen National Union signed a ceasefire with the government, but the government has ignored it.

Burma expert David Mathieson told the AP that the Karen have always understood that the army is a threat.

"When you live in these areas of ongoing¹⁰ armed conflict you know exactly who you are dealing¹¹ with and you know that you can't trust them," he said.

"This is the military trying to subjugate¹² the entire country once again," he added.

Words in This Story

jungle – n. a thick forest in areas near the Equator of the Earth

subjugate – v. to defeat and gain control of someone or something through the use of force

1 uproots   

v.把（某物）连根拔起( uproot的第三人称单数 )；根除；赶走；把…赶出家园

参考例句：

2 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

3 overthrow   

v.推翻，打倒，颠覆；n.推翻，瓦解，颠覆

参考例句：

• After the overthrow of the government,the country was in chaos.政府被推翻后，这个国家处于混乱中。
• The overthrow of his plans left him much discouraged.他的计划的失败使得他很气馁。

4 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。

5 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

6 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

7 rangers   

护林者( ranger的名词复数 )； 突击队员

参考例句：

• Do you know where the Rangers Stadium is? 你知道Rangers体育场在哪吗？ 来自超越目标英语 第3册
• Now I'm a Rangers' fan, so I like to be near the stadium. 现在我是Rangers的爱好者，所以我想离体育场近一点。 来自超越目标英语 第3册

8 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

9 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

10 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。

11 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

12 subjugate   

v.征服；抑制

参考例句：

• Imperialism has not been able to subjugate China.帝国主义不能征服中国。
• After having been subjugated to ambition,your maternal instincts are at last starting to assert themselves.你那被雄心壮志压制已久的母性本能终于开始展现出来。