VOA慢速英语20060429b

IN THE NEWS - Politics and Bullets: Facing Maoist Rebels in Nepal and IndiaBy Nancy Steinbach

Broadcast: Saturday, April 29, 2006

I'm Steve Ember with IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.

Mao Zedong led the revolutionary army that established the People's Republic of China in nineteen forty-nine. Mao led Communist China until he died in nineteen seventy-six. Today, governments in two countries that border on China face rebels following in his name.

India's Maoist rebellion goes back almost forty years. The conflict has intensified¹. Rebels are now active in areas of southern, eastern and central India. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh recently described it as the biggest threat to internal security since independence.

More than six thousand people have been killed in violence between rebels and government forces in the last twenty years. The Maoists say they are fighting for the poor and unemployed² against wealthy farmers and landowners.

Government officials in New Delhi are urging state governments to form local resistance groups. Human rights activists³ have criticized some of the measures being taken to deal with the rebellion.

At the same time, the Indian government has been working to return democratic rule across the border in Nepal. Nepal is a small country surrounded by India and China. Rebels have been trying to overthrow⁴ the government of Nepal for ten years. At least eleven thousand people have been killed.

The rebels are now cooperating with seven political parties supporting a democracy movement. King Gyanendra seized full control of the government in February of last year. The opposition⁵ alliance organized protests that began earlier this month and resulted in deadly clashes with security forces.

Almost three weeks of demonstrations⁶ ended with a victory Monday for the opposition. King Gyanendra announced that Parliament would meet for the first time in four years. He was, in effect, returning power to elected political leaders.




Nepalese shout for joy as they take to the streets on the outskirts⁷ of Katmandu to celebrate Tuesday, April 25, 2006, following an announcement by the King Gyanendra to reinstate Parliament

At first, the rebels rejected the king's move. They said it was a trick to let him hold onto power. But on Thursday, Prachanda the Maoist rebel leader announced a three-month ceasefire. And King Gyanendra named an eighty-four-year-old politician, Girija Prasad Koirala, as the new prime minister.

Mister Koirala was too sick to attend the opening of Parliament on Friday. But in a written statement he proposed a ceasefire, talks with the rebels and elections for a special assembly to rewrite Nepal's constitution. Parliament prepared for debate on Sunday.

And American Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher prepared to visit Nepal next week. He says the United States might renew military aid -- if the army accepts a full return to democracy.

Mister Boucher says the political parties should decide on the king's future relationship with the government. And he says the United States would like to see the Maoists stop the violence and play a part in governing Nepal.

IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English was written by Nancy Steinbach. Read and listen to our reports at www.unsv.com. I'm Steve Ember.

1 intensified   

v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Violence intensified during the night. 在夜间暴力活动加剧了。
• The drought has intensified. 旱情加剧了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 unemployed   

adj.失业的，没有工作的；未动用的，闲置的

参考例句：

• There are now over four million unemployed workers in this country.这个国家现有四百万失业人员。
• The unemployed hunger for jobs.失业者渴望得到工作。

3 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》

4 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。

5 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

6 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

7 outskirts   

n.郊外，郊区

参考例句：

• Our car broke down on the outskirts of the city.我们的汽车在市郊出了故障。
• They mostly live on the outskirts of a town.他们大多住在近郊。