2006年VOA标准英语-Ivory Coast Parliament Opens Toxic Waste Hearin

By Joe Bavier
Abidjan
25 September 2006

Ivory Coast's national assembly has opened public hearings into the dumping of several hundred tons of toxic¹ waste in the country's main city last month. Two main figures implicated² in the scandal have refused to appear before the body.

 
Officials (bottom row-L) who were suspended following illegal dumping of toxic waste listen during hearing at  parliament, Sept. 25, 2006, in Abidjan
The nationally televised hearings at the national assembly building in Ivory Coast's commercial capital, Abidjan, began Monday.

The head of parliament's environment commission, Mamadou Die, said "it is not the goal here to put anyone on trial." He told the assembly, "we are searching for clear and precise information concerning what really happened."

Around 77,000 Abidjan residents have sought medical treatment for symptoms linked to the dumping of 528,000 liters of liquid chemical waste at more than a dozen sites around the city last month. Health officials say eight people have been confirmed to have died from toxic waste related illnesses.

The August 19 dumping of the waste, offloaded from a tanker³ ship chartered by the Dutch-based company, Trafigura Beheer BV, has led to the resignation of Prime Minister Charles Konan Banny's transitional government.

Parliament had called on five men, the former directors of customs and the port of Abidjan, the former ministers of transportation and the environment, and the governor of the district of Abidjan, to give testimony⁴.

However, ex-transportation minister Innocent Kobenan Anaky, who was dragged from his car and beaten by angry protesters last week, declined to appear, citing heath problems related to the attack. The former minister of the environment, Jacques Andoh, also failed to appear.

In a letter read to the assembly by panel president Die, Andoh said his first obligations were toward a criminal inquiry⁵ and two investigating committees set up by the prime minister last week.

 
Demonstrators hold banners reading 'Is Ivory Coast the trash can of the world?' during a demonstration⁶ outside parliament in Abidjan, Sept. 25, 2006
Abidjan district governor Pierre Djedji Amondji, the last to speak Monday, was heckled by assembly members as he began his testimony.

The hearings are scheduled to continue Tuesday. It remains⁷ unclear what, if any, action parliament might take.

Ivory Coast's national assembly has been a lightning rod for controversy⁸ in recent years. Due to a boycott⁹ of the last legislative¹⁰ elections by one of the principle opposition¹¹ parties, the body is now largely dominated by supporters of President Laurent Gbagbo.

The elected mandate¹² of its members expired last October, and no new election was held. The suggestion by international mediators in Ivory Coast's four-year-old civil war that the body be dissolved sparked five days of violent riots across the government-contolled south in January.

1 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。

2 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》

3 tanker   

n.油轮

参考例句：

• The tanker took on 200,000 barrels of crude oil.油轮装载了二十万桶原油。
• Heavy seas had pounded the tanker into three parts.汹涌的巨浪把油轮撞成三载。

4 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

5 inquiry   

n.打听，询问，调查，查问

参考例句：

• Many parents have been pressing for an inquiry into the problem.许多家长迫切要求调查这个问题。
• The field of inquiry has narrowed down to five persons.调查的范围已经缩小到只剩5个人了。

6 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

7 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

8 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

9 boycott   

n./v.(联合)抵制，拒绝参与

参考例句：

• We put the production under a boycott.我们联合抵制该商品。
• The boycott lasts a year until the Victoria board permitsreturn.这个抗争持续了一年直到维多利亚教育局妥协为止。

10 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

11 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。

12 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。