VOA标准英语2013--沙特签证移民逃离在镇压

 

Saudi Migrants Flee Amid Visa Crackdown 沙特签证移民逃离在镇压

LONDON — Tens of thousands of foreign workers are leaving Saudi Arabia, as authorities carry out a visa crackdown on illegal immigrants. Analysts¹ say the expulsions are aimed at improving employment for native Saudis, as the jobless rate hits 12 percent. But human rights groups say the migrants find themselves caught between the police and abusive employers.

伦敦——因为当局开展打击非法移民成千上万的外国工人离开沙特阿拉伯。分析人士说,驱逐旨在改善就业,土生土长的沙特人失业率达到12%。但是人权组织说,移民发现自己夹在警察和雇主之间。

A convoy² of buses reached the Saudi-Yemeni border from Riyadh Wednesday; on board, hundreds of workers expelled from Saudi Arabia - the latest arrivals in an exodus³ of around 65,000 migrants.

Among them was Ahmed Amin - who says Yemenis in particular are being targeted.

"The crackdown is for kicking out Yemenis in particular, because even if you correct your visa status, you can't work. These days, your work only pays enough to cover your employer’s sponsorship costs. You can't afford to pay to the labor⁴ office, the passports authority and everything else from your salary, " said Amin.

Lilian Ambuso from the International Organization for Migration⁵ says many of the returnees are in bad shape.

"Most of the cases that arrive are quite dehydrated. This is due to the fact that some of them have been in the detention⁶ center for some time," said Ambuso.

There are an estimated nine million foreign workers in Saudi Arabia. Authorities began the expulsions earlier this month after giving foreign workers a seven-month amnesty to rectify⁷ any visa discrepancies⁸ - which saw tens of thousands of workers leave voluntarily.

There were violent clashes between migrants and police in poorer parts of the capital. At least three people were killed.

The crackdown should be seen in the wider context of the Arab uprisings across the region since 2011, says Jane Kinninmont on London-based policy institute Chatham House.

“The response of the Gulf⁹ governments has been to see the protests around the region as partly a response to economic problems, particularly a shortage of jobs for youth. So their policy response has tended to be spending more money, increasing public sector¹⁰ jobs, and also trying to get more citizens into the workforce¹¹ which tends to be at the expense of expatriates," said Kinninmont.

Labor laws in Saudi Arabia mean many foreign workers find themselves unable to leave, says Adam Coogle of Human Rights Watch.

“You might ask if the situation is so bad, why don’t workers just leave the country? And the problem is they can’t. To leave the country they have to procure¹² an exit visa signed by their legal employer which can be very difficult," said Coogle.

Employers will struggle to replace the workers, says Jane Kinninmont of Chatham House.

“Some of them have skills and some would argue in menial jobs at least, a work ethic¹³ that a lot of wealthier Saudis don’t have. Another issue though is pay. Employers find that they can pay migrants, especially illegal migrants, very low wages," said Kinninmont.

The Saudi crackdown comes as human rights groups warn of the widespread abuse of migrant workers in the construction sector in neighboring Qatar - which is building facilities to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup. 

1 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

2 convoy   

vt.护送，护卫，护航；n.护送；护送队

参考例句：

• The convoy was snowed up on the main road.护送队被大雪困在干路上了。
• Warships will accompany the convoy across the Atlantic.战舰将护送该船队过大西洋。

3 exodus   

v.大批离去，成群外出

参考例句：

• The medical system is facing collapse because of an exodus of doctors.由于医生大批离去，医疗系统面临崩溃。
• Man's great challenge at this moment is to prevent his exodus from this planet.人在当前所遇到的最大挑战，就是要防止人从这个星球上消失。

4 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。

5 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。

6 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。

7 rectify   

v.订正，矫正，改正

参考例句：

• The matter will rectify itself in a few days.那件事过几天就会变好。
• You can rectify this fault if you insert a slash.插人一条斜线便可以纠正此错误。

8 discrepancies   

n.差异，不符合（之处），不一致（之处）( discrepancy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• wide discrepancies in prices quoted for the work 这项工作的报价出入很大
• When both versions of the story were collated,major discrepancies were found. 在将这个故事的两个版本对照后，找出了主要的不符之处。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

10 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

11 workforce   

n.劳动大军，劳动力

参考例句：

• A large part of the workforce is employed in agriculture.劳动人口中一大部分受雇于农业。
• A quarter of the local workforce is unemployed.本地劳动力中有四分之一失业。

12 procure   

vt.获得，取得，促成；vi.拉皮条

参考例句：

• Can you procure some specimens for me?你能替我弄到一些标本吗？
• I'll try my best to procure you that original French novel.我将尽全力给你搞到那本原版法国小说。

13 ethic   

n.道德标准，行为准则

参考例句：

• They instilled the work ethic into their children.他们在孩子们的心中注入了职业道德的理念。
• The connotation of education ethic is rooted in human nature's mobility.教育伦理的内涵根源于人本性的变动性。