2007年VOA标准英语-US Condemns Burma's Crackdown on Dissidents

By David Gollust
State Department
22 August 2007

The United States Wednesday condemned¹ Burma's arrest of at least 13 activists² who staged rare public demonstrations³ this week against government-mandated fuel price increases. The State Department accuses the military government in Rangoon of a "blatant⁴" attempt to silence peaceful protests. VOA's David Gollust reports from the State Department.

Public protests are rare in Burma, where the military government brutally⁵ repressed pro-democracy demonstrations in 1988 and killed an estimated 3,000 people.

Demonstrators march on Insein road in northern Rangoon suburb to protest massive fuel price hikes, 22 Aug 2007

This week's demonstrations over the recent fuel price hikes were small by comparison with only a few hundred people involved, including some veteran leaders of the so-called 88 Generation students group who had taken part in the 1988 protests.

The arrests of the activists, among them several leaders of the 88 Generation group, drew condemnation⁶ from State Department Acting⁷ Spokesman Gonzalo Gallegos.

"The United States calls for the immediate⁸ release of these activists, and for an end to the regime's blatant attempt to intimidate⁹ and silence those who are engaged in peaceful promotion¹⁰ of democracy and human rights in Burma," said Gallegos. "We call on the regime to engage in meaningful dialogue with members of Burma's democracy movement and ethnic¹¹ minority groups, and to make tangible¹² steps toward a transition to civilian¹³, democratic rule."

Prominent activists from 88 Generation Students group, Ko Ko Gyi (l), Min Ko Naing (second from left), and Htay Kywe (thrid from left), May 2007

The spokesman specifically mentioned the arrest of Min Ko Naing and Ko Ko Gyi - two of Burma's most prominent dissidents after detained opposition¹⁴ leader and Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.

In the statement, Gallegos renewed the U.S. call on Burma to release all political prisoners, including Aung San Su Kyi, who has been under detention¹⁵ most of the time since her National League for Democracy party won elections in 1990 but was barred from taking power.

He also urged Rangoon authorities to end military attacks and human rights abuses against civilians¹⁶ in ethnic-minority areas, and to lift restrictions¹⁷ on humanitarian¹⁸ organizations in Burma.

Gallegos said improving relations between the United States and Burma depends on the government taking "concrete and credible¹⁹" steps in that direction.

The United States maintains only limited diplomatic ties with Burma, and senior U.S. officials refuse to visit the country because they have been denied access to Aung San Suu Kyi and other opposition figures.

Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Eric John met Burmese Foreign Minister Nyan Win and other officials of the Rangoon government in late June in Beijing.

The unusual meeting, arranged by China, was the highest-level U.S.-Burmese discussion since 2003. The State Department called it a frank exchange of views that yielded no indication of change by the Burmese on human rights.

1 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

2 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》

3 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。

4 blatant   

adj.厚颜无耻的；显眼的；炫耀的

参考例句：

• I cannot believe that so blatant a comedy can hoodwink anybody.我无法相信这么显眼的一出喜剧能够欺骗谁。
• His treatment of his secretary was a blatant example of managerial arrogance.他管理的傲慢作风在他对待秘书的态度上表露无遗。

5 brutally   

adv.残忍地，野蛮地，冷酷无情地

参考例句：

• The uprising was brutally put down.起义被残酷地镇压下去了。
• A pro-democracy uprising was brutally suppressed.一场争取民主的起义被残酷镇压了。

6 condemnation   

n.谴责; 定罪

参考例句：

• There was widespread condemnation of the invasion. 那次侵略遭到了人们普遍的谴责。
• The jury's condemnation was a shock to the suspect. 陪审团宣告有罪使嫌疑犯大为震惊。

7 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

8 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

9 intimidate   

vt.恐吓，威胁

参考例句：

• You think you can intimidate people into doing what you want?你以为你可以威胁别人做任何事？
• The first strike capacity is intended mainly to intimidate adversary.第一次攻击的武力主要是用来吓阻敌方的。

10 promotion   

n.提升，晋级；促销，宣传

参考例句：

• The teacher conferred with the principal about Dick's promotion.教师与校长商谈了迪克的升级问题。
• The clerk was given a promotion and an increase in salary.那个职员升了级，加了薪。

11 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

12 tangible   

adj.有形的，可触摸的，确凿的，实际的

参考例句：

• The policy has not yet brought any tangible benefits.这项政策还没有带来任何实质性的好处。
• There is no tangible proof.没有确凿的证据。

13 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

14 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。

15 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。

16 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

17 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

18 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

19 credible   

adj.可信任的，可靠的

参考例句：

• The news report is hardly credible.这则新闻报道令人难以置信。
• Is there a credible alternative to the nuclear deterrent?是否有可以取代核威慑力量的可靠办法？