2006年VOA标准英语-Violence Erupts in East Timor Following Prison

By Chad Bouchard
Jakarta
01 September 2006

Violence between rival gangs has erupted in the East Timorese capital of Dili, injuring at least six people and renewing fears of civil unrest. The clashes follow the recent escape from prison of scores of fugitives¹, including one renegade military leader, jailed for their roles in widespread violence earlier this year.

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An East Timorese prison guard stands near the door of a prison from which rebel leader Major Alfredo Reinado escaped Wednesday with more than 50 others at the Becora jail Thursday, Aug. 31, 2006 in Dili

The fighting between rival groups broke out Friday morning outside a hotel in Dili used as a center for refugees. International security forces arrived soon after and restored order.

The incident has raised tensions in the capital, which is still recovering from violence between rival military factions³ in May that escalated⁴ into general civil unrest. At least 20 people were killed and 150,000 displaced. Order was only restored by the arrival of international peacekeepers.

Luiz Vieira, the head of the International Organization for Migration⁵ office in East Timor, says the new outbreak of violence undermines efforts to rebuild the confidence of internally displaced persons, or IDPs.

"You know, it can be viewed as a significant development, and I think we're all very very hopeful that this issue will be resolved very soon, so it doesn't play into the politicization of the process," said Vieira. "You know, we're trying to support dialogue initiatives between people in the IDP centers and people in their communities, and, obviously, this event doesn't help our efforts."

Friday's clashes come just two days after a prison break by some of those implicated⁶ in the earlier violence.

East Timorese police are still looking for 57 inmates⁷, who walked out of a Dili prison Wednesday. Among those still at large is Alfredo Reinado, a rebel commander imprisoned⁸ for failing to surrender weapons and leading a military faction².

Since his escape, Reinado has released a letter telling people to revolt and calling the country's current government illegal and undemocratic.

East Timor's prime minister, Jose Ramos-Horta, has partly blamed international peacekeeping forces for the escape. He told the Australian Broadcasting Network Friday that the United Nations and Australia-led peacekeepers had ignored requests for more troops outside the prison.

But Vieira defends the peacekeepers, saying they are doing their best to maintain order in a divided country.

"I think it's a very complicated situation, and they have limited resources," he said. "So, I do believe they're doing what they can do. And I think the key is to strengthen as much as possible their coordination⁹ and cooperation with the government and with people on the ground, so we can solidify¹⁰ the communications structures et cetera."

The Australian prime minister on Friday rejected claims that forces from his country were partly responsible for the escape.

The U.N. last week approved a new peacekeeping mission in East Timor that calls for 1,600 police to help maintain order ahead of elections next year.

Australia's foreign minister will fly to Dili Sunday for two days of talks with his East Timorese and Indonesian counterparts. Discussion will include the role of Australian-led international security forces in the new U.N. mission.

1 fugitives   

n.亡命者，逃命者( fugitive的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Three fugitives from the prison are still at large. 三名逃犯仍然未被抓获。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Members of the provisional government were prisoners or fugitives. 临时政府的成员或被捕或逃亡。 来自演讲部分

2 faction   

n.宗派，小集团；派别；派系斗争

参考例句：

• Faction and self-interest appear to be the norm.派系之争和自私自利看来非常普遍。
• I now understood clearly that I was caught between the king and the Bunam's faction.我现在完全明白自己已陷入困境，在国王与布纳姆集团之间左右为难。

3 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别

4 escalated   

v.（使）逐步升级( escalate的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）逐步扩大；（使）更高；（使）更大

参考例句：

• The fighting escalated into a full-scale war. 这场交战逐步扩大为全面战争。
• The demonstration escalated into a pitched battle with the police. 示威逐步升级，演变成了一场同警察的混战。

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 implicated   

adj.密切关联的；牵涉其中的

参考例句：

• These groups are very strongly implicated in the violence. 这些组织与这起暴力事件有着极大的关联。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Having the stolen goods in his possession implicated him in the robbery. 因藏有赃物使他涉有偷盗的嫌疑。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 inmates   

n.囚犯( inmate的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• One of the inmates has escaped. 被收容的人中有一个逃跑了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The inmates were moved to an undisclosed location. 监狱里的囚犯被转移到一个秘密处所。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 imprisoned   

下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was imprisoned for two concurrent terms of 30 months and 18 months. 他被判处30个月和18个月的监禁，合并执行。
• They were imprisoned for possession of drugs. 他们因拥有毒品而被监禁。

9 coordination   

n.协调，协作

参考例句：

• Gymnastics is a sport that requires a considerable level of coordination.体操是一项需要高协调性的运动。
• The perfect coordination of the dancers and singers added a rhythmic charm to the performance.舞蹈演员和歌手们配合得很好，使演出更具魅力。

10 solidify   

v.(使)凝固，(使)固化，(使)团结

参考例句：

• Opinion on this question began to solidify.对这个问题的意见开始具体化了。
• Water will solidify into ice if you freeze it.水冷冻会结冰。