美国国家公共电台 NPR--Families of children killed in a massacre in Thailand last week are in mourning

Families of children killed in a massacre¹ in Thailand last week are in mourning

Transcript²

After that mass shooting at a daycare center, NPR's Leila Fadel talks to Thai journalist Haitharat Phaholtap about the mystery surrounding the shooter's motives³.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

Over the weekend in rural northeastern Thailand, families said goodbye to their loved ones killed in the deadliest mass killing⁴ carried out by a single person. On Thursday, a former police officer used a gun and a knife to kill 36 people, 24 of them small children, at a day care center in the rural township of Uthai Sawan. There were so many funerals they had to be shared among three temples. Families brought offerings to place near the coffins⁵ of their loved ones - baby bottles, juice boxes, toy cars, sticky rice. To hear more about how people are coming to grips with what happened, we're joined by Hathairat Phaholtap. She's the editor of The Isaan Record, a news organization in northeastern Thailand. Thank you so much for joining us.

HATHAIRAT PHAHOLTAP: Thank you, Leila, to have me.

FADEL: I just want to start by asking how you're doing, how the community is doing. I mean, the pictures from the funeral ceremonies, especially for the children, have just been so heartbreaking to look at, to see.

PHAHOLTAP: Yeah. I interviewed at least 10 families, but one family was in shock...

FADEL: Yeah.

PHAHOLTAP: ...After they lost, like, their loved ones because...

FADEL: Who did they lose?

PHAHOLTAP: A daughter who got pregnant, 8 months old. So...

FADEL: She had - she was 8 months pregnant?

PHAHOLTAP: Yes.

FADEL: Yeah.

PHAHOLTAP: And the family was ready to see their grandson, grandchildren. But, you know...

FADEL: They'll never meet their grandchild.

PHAHOLTAP: Yeah. The mother told me that she has no tear to drop because the tear dropping inside her heart.

FADEL: You know, a tragedy like this always brings up questions around guns. And Thailand has a comparatively high rate of civilian⁶ gun ownership for the region. And security officers have even easier access to weapons, right? I mean, this man had a 9-millimeter pistol that he got legally, that he used. What are politicians saying about how this massacre might change the country's approach to gun ownership?

PHAHOLTAP: You know, like, when we interviewed the commander in chief of police, they said these situation make him rethink about the gun control policy because, you know, as anyone know in this country, authorities, even, like, leader - local leader, can get access to guns easy. And also, general - like, general people can get access to gun online as well, like - as you - like, as some people know, like, in Thailand, there are 10 million gun, like - but including legal and illegal as well. I think if the government is not, you know, get involved with guns seriously, it's going to - you know, this situation will happen again, again and again.

FADEL: Thai journalist Hathairat Phaholtap, the editor of The Isaan Record. Thanks for your time.

PHAHOLTAP: Thank you for having me.

1 massacre   

n.残杀，大屠杀；v.残杀，集体屠杀

参考例句：

• There was a terrible massacre of villagers here during the war.在战争中，这里的村民惨遭屠杀。
• If we forget the massacre,the massacre will happen again!忘记了大屠杀，大屠杀就有可能再次发生！

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 motives   

n.动机，目的( motive的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• to impeach sb's motives 怀疑某人的动机
• His motives are unclear. 他的用意不明。

4 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

5 coffins   

n.棺材( coffin的名词复数 )；使某人早亡[死，完蛋，垮台等]之物

参考例句：

• The shop was close and hot, and the atmosphere seemed tainted with the smell of coffins. 店堂里相当闷热，空气仿佛被棺木的味儿污染了。 来自辞典例句
• Donate some coffins to the temple, equal to the number of deaths. 到寺庙里，捐赠棺材盒给这些死者吧。 来自电影对白

6 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。