VOA标准英语2013--Burma Legal Advisers Help Land Grab Victims

 

Burma Legal Advisers¹ Help Land Grab Victims

缅甸的政治和经济开放已吸引大量的外国投资者和刺激了房地产繁荣。

Land values are soaring in parts of Burma, even in ethnic² states, where fighting has left thousands homeless. The government hopes foreign investment will lift the fortunes of millions, but many feel they are already being left out of the profits.

Few people have legal land deeds and the former military-backed government confiscated³ huge tracts⁴ of land years ago. For many people, the sale of property they are living on will not mean a big payday.

Veteran pro-democracy activist⁵ and lawyer Aung Htoo says there is one main issue – ownership.

“The problem is that the state is the sole owner of all land in our country. It’s [a] constitutionally provided provision as far as land issues are concerned,” he said.

Htoo trains fellow lawyers and activists⁶ to help people fight for compensation. It is an uphill battle.

 “Our training is aimed to provide education to the important activists and some lawyers and law graduates so that they have more awareness⁷ on the constitution. So that they may be able to become trainers to provide multiple training to the rest of the people,” explained Aung Htoo.

Recent land reforms now allow farmers and land owners to be given compensation - even if the state still holds the deed. But as land disputes erupt across Burma, some worry the problem could grow along with foreign investments.

Paul Donowitz is with Earth Rights International, a group monitoring land issues in Burma.

“When farmers are using the land to sustain themselves their communities are forced to sell their land where they don’t want to move. There isn’t any other land but the government or a company is basically forcing them off their land. It's forced compensation and they are being told in a number of circumstances, either you take it or leave it,” said Donowitz.

But Aung Htoo hopes his students find a third option: to press their case in the courts or through public opinion. He says the ultimate goal is to change the constitution.

“If the government has a sincere objective to bring development for the entire people, they must try to amend⁸ not only the constitution but also other relevant laws so that the people shall enjoy the right to own the land and the right to manage the land,” said Aung Htoo.

In the meantime, Aung Htoo’s classrooms will be a place where citizens learn about the current laws, so they can become more successful at pressing authorities to change them.

1 advisers   

顾问，劝告者( adviser的名词复数 )； （指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• a member of the President's favoured circle of advisers 总统宠爱的顾问班子中的一员
• She withdrew to confer with her advisers before announcing a decision. 她先去请教顾问然后再宣布决定。

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 confiscated   

没收，充公( confiscate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Their land was confiscated after the war. 他们的土地在战后被没收。
• The customs officer confiscated the smuggled goods. 海关官员没收了走私品。

4 tracts   

大片土地( tract的名词复数 )； 地带； （体内的）道； （尤指宣扬宗教、伦理或政治的）短文

参考例句：

• vast tracts of forest 大片大片的森林
• There are tracts of desert in Australia. 澳大利亚有大片沙漠。

5 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

6 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

8 amend   

vt.修改，修订，改进；n.[pl.]赔罪，赔偿

参考例句：

• The teacher advised him to amend his way of living.老师劝他改变生活方式。
• You must amend your pronunciation.你必须改正你的发音。