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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
Sri Lanka's president sends tanks into streets and refuses to step down
Even while the curfew was lifted, tanks patroled the streets amid a state of emergency. The Indian Ocean nation faces a political vacuum — on top of a severe economic crisis.
A MARTINEZ, HOST:
A curfew was briefly2 lifted today in Sri Lanka. People were allowed out only for a few hours, but tanks are still patrolling the streets. The Indian Ocean nation is in the middle of a spiraling political crisis brought on by an economic one. NPR's Lauren Frayer reports there's lots of uncertainty3 over what's to come.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: (Through megaphone, non-English language spoken).
LAUREN FRAYER, BYLINE5: Police with megaphones have ordered anti-government demonstrators out of the protest camps that have become a fixture6 in Sri Lanka's capital, Colombo. The camps were attacked by government supporters earlier this week, and violence spread across the country. Now police and soldiers have orders to shoot anyone causing disturbance7. But some protesters still defied a curfew last night to gather in the rain and once again call for their president's ouster.
UNIDENTIFIED CROWD: (Chanting in non-English language).
FRAYER: Not far away, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was barricaded8 in his official residence, protected by soldiers. From there, he gave a somber9 address to the nation.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
PRESIDENT GOTABAYA RAJAPAKSA: (Non-English language spoken).
FRAYER: "My brothers and sisters," he said in his first appearance since the violence began. He appealed for calm and pledged to appoint a new prime minister within a week. His older brother had been in that role, but he resigned after his supporters attacked peaceful protesters. The Rajapaksa brothers have been the focus of months of protests. Many Sri Lankans blame them for mismanaging an economic crisis that's led to food and fuel shortages and rolling blackouts.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
INDRAJIT COOMARASWAMY: This is an unprecedented10 crisis, the scale and magnitude of it.
FRAYER: Indrajit Coomaraswamy is the former governor of Sri Lanka's central bank. He spoke4 at an Asia Society panel last night, and he said this crisis was brewing11 for years.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
COOMARASWAMI: We have had a toxic12 mix of populist politics and an entrenched13 entitlement culture among the people. It has been a high budget deficit14, high inflation, high nominal15 interest rate and largely overvalued and volatile16 currency economy.
FRAYER: Those economic problems exploded under populist leadership and when global energy prices soared. President Rajapaksa was democratically elected 2 1/2 years ago. And in his address to the nation last night, he made clear he does not plan to step down. He did say he's willing to eventually abolish the executive presidency17, which gives him sweeping18 powers as head of state and as head of government. But he gave no timeline for that.
So for now, tanks patrol the streets. Sri Lanka remains19 in a state of emergency, which gives Rajapaksa even greater powers. The military is protecting him, and that's worrying, says analyst20 Bhavani Fonseka at Sri Lanka's Centre for Policy Alternatives.
BHAVANI FONSEKA: Under the Rajapaksas, we have seen the strengthening and entrenching21 of the military in Sri Lanka in terms of governance, in terms of civil administration. And they are an extremely powerful entity22 at the moment.
FRAYER: She's worried Sri Lanka could go from being ruled by one family, the Rajapaksas, to being ruled by the military if rival politicians can't establish a civilian23 government in the coming days.
Lauren Frayer, NPR News, Mumbai.
1 transcript | |
n.抄本,誊本,副本,肄业证书 | |
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2 briefly | |
adv.简单地,简短地 | |
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3 uncertainty | |
n.易变,靠不住,不确知,不确定的事物 | |
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4 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 | |
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5 byline | |
n.署名;v.署名 | |
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6 fixture | |
n.固定设备;预定日期;比赛时间;定期存款 | |
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7 disturbance | |
n.动乱,骚动;打扰,干扰;(身心)失调 | |
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8 barricaded | |
设路障于,以障碍物阻塞( barricade的过去式和过去分词 ); 设路障[防御工事]保卫或固守 | |
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9 somber | |
adj.昏暗的,阴天的,阴森的,忧郁的 | |
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10 unprecedented | |
adj.无前例的,新奇的 | |
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11 brewing | |
n. 酿造, 一次酿造的量 动词brew的现在分词形式 | |
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12 toxic | |
adj.有毒的,因中毒引起的 | |
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13 entrenched | |
adj.确立的,不容易改的(风俗习惯) | |
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14 deficit | |
n.亏空,亏损;赤字,逆差 | |
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15 nominal | |
adj.名义上的;(金额、租金)微不足道的 | |
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16 volatile | |
adj.反复无常的,挥发性的,稍纵即逝的,脾气火爆的;n.挥发性物质 | |
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17 presidency | |
n.总统(校长,总经理)的职位(任期) | |
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18 sweeping | |
adj.范围广大的,一扫无遗的 | |
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19 remains | |
n.剩余物,残留物;遗体,遗迹 | |
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20 analyst | |
n.分析家,化验员;心理分析学家 | |
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21 entrenching | |
v.用壕沟围绕或保护…( entrench的现在分词 );牢固地确立… | |
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22 entity | |
n.实体,独立存在体,实际存在物 | |
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23 civilian | |
adj.平民的,民用的,民众的 | |
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