2007年VOA标准英语-Abu Sayyaf Defectors Talk of Difficult Life in

By Douglas Bakshian
Jolo
21 February 2007

Marine1 Corps2 Commandant Maj. General Nelson Allaga points to the picture of Abu Sayyaf leader Abu Pula during a press conference in Manila, 19 Feb 2007" hspace="2" src="http://www.wwenglish.com/up/2007/02/16850/6.jpg" width="210" vspace="2" border="0" />

Philippine Marine Corps Commandant Maj. General Nelson Allaga points to the picture of Abu Sayyaf leader Abu Pula during a press conference in Manila, 19 Feb 2007

One of Southeast Asia's most violent terrorist groups, Abu Sayyaf, is under siege in the southern Philippines. While its top leaders are being targeted and killed by the military, some of its rank and file members have begun to defect. Recently, reporters escorted by Philippine Marines met several former guerrillas to hear their story. Douglas Bakshian just visited the island of Jolo where the Abu Sayyaf is based and has this report on the defectors.

 

The defectors use fictitious³ names for their protection. Their background seems simple as told through military interpreters. They were middlemen in a fruit business in which they purchased produce from farmers and resold it to a retailer⁴.

 

But a deal went bad and the retailer did not pay the nearly $6,000 he owed for the food. To get their money, they kidnapped him and after the ransom⁵ was paid, they let the businessman go. Fearing retaliation⁶ from his relatives and the authorities, they fled their homes and joined Abu Sayyaf, a group in the hills that they had heard of.

 

The Abu Sayyaf has claimed it is fighting for a separate homeland for Muslims in the southern islands of Philippines, which has a mostly Christian⁷ population. But it is most famous for a series of bombings, brutal⁸ kidnappings and beheadings.

One of the former guerrillas, Brian, 29, a father of four, said he was not originally interested in jihad but after he became an Abu Sayyaf member he was indoctrinated. He said he never witnessed any atrocities⁹ such as beheadings, but he saw a lot of violence in battles with the Philippine Marines.

 

Brian spent three years with the Abu Sayyaf. He says life in the jungle became difficult because the guerrillas were on the run from the Marines and it was hard to get food. He says there were times when, if they were lucky, they would eat once a day, but the next day there would be no food. They also feared dying in clashes with the military.

 

Brian said he left Abu Sayyaf because it was doing un-Islamic things. One day he just had enough. He says the group was killing¹⁰ people, and stealing other's property, and some members stopped praying.

 

When he saw an opportunity to slip out of the group he fled for his life. He surrendered to the Marines last October. He says Abu Sayyaf was being poorly managed when he left, and more defectors could be coming.

Over the past several months, an aggressive military operation on Jolo by the Philippine Marines, using intelligence and equipment provided by the United States, has severely¹¹ crippled the Abu Sayyaf. Two senior leaders have been killed and its activities have been curtailed¹².

 

The Abu Sayyaf is said to be harboring members from the regional terrorist group Jemaah Islamiah (JI), responsible for the 2002 Bali bombing that killed more than 200 people. Another former fighter, Adam, 25, says he saw JI member Dulmatin, the man behind the Bali attack, but he was heavily guarded.

 

He says he approached Dulmatin but was kept away by others because Abu Sayyaf leaders were afraid someone would get the word out that Jemaah Islamiah was on Jolo.

 

A third former rebel, Jordan, 26, who has three children, says he left Abu Sayyaf to return to his family. He also was afraid of the Marines, known for their overwhelming firepower.

 

The former fighters have rejoined their community and will be part of a militia¹³ to defend their neighborhoods if the guerrillas come back. The Marines also are on call if further protection is required.

 

Philippine Marine Lieutenant¹⁴ Colonel Nestor Herico, says he hopes more Abu Sayyaf members will give themselves up when they get the word that their former comrades are living peaceful lives with their families. He says over time, this process will weaken the Abu Sayyaf leadership, which he refers to as "the big fish."

 

"You are going to take out the water in a basin with a big fish in there," he said. "I consider them the water. If you are going to take out the water, the big fish will die. So not having a mass base I believe the hierarchy¹⁵ of Abu Sayyaf will just die a natural death, or most probably they will just leave the area."

 

About 200 Abu Sayyaf guerrillas are thought to still be on Jolo. The Marines say they are willing to be lenient¹⁶ with those who surrender, because they want them to once again live harmoniously¹⁷ in their own communities.

1 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

2 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

3 fictitious   

adj.虚构的，假设的；空头的

参考例句：

• She invented a fictitious boyfriend to put him off.她虚构出一个男朋友来拒绝他。
• The story my mother told me when I was young is fictitious.小时候妈妈对我讲的那个故事是虚构的。

4 retailer   

n.零售商(人)

参考例句：

• What are the retailer requirements?零售商会有哪些要求呢？
• The retailer has assembled a team in Shanghai to examine the question.这家零售商在上海组建了一支团队研究这个问题。

5 ransom   

n.赎金，赎身；v.赎回，解救

参考例句：

• We'd better arrange the ransom right away.我们最好马上把索取赎金的事安排好。
• The kidnappers exacted a ransom of 10000 from the family.绑架者向这家人家勒索10000英镑的赎金。

6 retaliation   

n.报复，反击

参考例句：

• retaliation against UN workers 对联合国工作人员的报复
• He never said a single word in retaliation. 他从未说过一句反击的话。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

8 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

9 atrocities   

n.邪恶，暴行( atrocity的名词复数 )；滔天大罪

参考例句：

• They were guilty of the most barbarous and inhuman atrocities. 他们犯有最野蛮、最灭绝人性的残暴罪行。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The enemy's atrocities made one boil with anger. 敌人的暴行令人发指。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

10 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。

11 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

12 curtailed   

v.截断，缩短( curtail的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Spending on books has been severely curtailed. 购书开支已被大大削减。
• Their public health programme had to be severely curtailed. 他们的公共卫生计划不得不大大收缩。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

14 lieutenant   

n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员

参考例句：

• He was promoted to be a lieutenant in the army.他被提升为陆军中尉。
• He prevailed on the lieutenant to send in a short note.他说动那个副官，递上了一张简短的便条进去。

15 hierarchy   

n.等级制度；统治集团，领导层

参考例句：

• There is a rigid hierarchy of power in that country.那个国家有一套严密的权力等级制度。
• She's high up in the management hierarchy.她在管理阶层中地位很高。

16 lenient   

adj.宽大的，仁慈的

参考例句：

• The judge was lenient with him.法官对他很宽大。
• It's a question of finding the means between too lenient treatment and too severe punishment.问题是要找出处理过宽和处罚过严的折中办法。

17 harmoniously   

和谐地，调和地

参考例句：

• The president and Stevenson had worked harmoniously over the last eighteen months. 在过去一年半里，总统和史蒂文森一起工作是融洽的。
• China and India cannot really deal with each other harmoniously. 中国和印度这两只猛兽不可能真心实意地和谐相处。