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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
Bangkok
17 September 2007
One year has passed since the Thai military overthrew1 the government of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra on grounds it was corrupt2. The interim3 government is making good on promises to return the country to democracy by the end of the year. But as VOA Correspondent Luis Ramirez reports, the process of recovering stability and economic prosperity are just beginning.
Thai soldiers stand guard on the main road in Bangkok, 22 September 2006 |
But another year on - political uncertainty6 persists and economic stagnation7 has set in. Some Thais are questioning what the coup accomplished8. And many wonder why the military-installed government waited until last month to present formal corruption9 charges against Mr. Thaksin.
"If they can prove that the former leader was corrupt, the coup would be reasonable," said Morawat, a businessman along central Bangkok's Silom Road. "Now, we cannot say whether there was reason enough for a coup."
Thaksin Shinawatra (File) |
The galvanizing event turned out to be a multi-billion dollar tax-free sale of a Thaksin company. While the courts ruled in Mr. Thaksin's favor, public opinion began to turn and allegations of cronyism16 and political manipulation surfaced along with street demonstrations17.
Leading critics of the Thaksin government - mostly the urban educated elite18 - then accused his party of trying to weaken independent government bodies and the democratic balance of power among the political branches that were enshrined in the 1997 constitution.
While this was Thailand's 18th coup since absolute monarchy19 was abolished in 1932 - it was the first in more than 15 years - a period in which Thailand had evolved politically and economically. But this coup appears to have ushered20 in a year of economic turmoil21 - that included stock market plunges22, currency losses and questionable23 protectionist policies.
Thitinan Pongsudhirak - a political analyst24 at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok - says the coup has undermined Thailand's economic growth.
"The coup got rid of a corrupt and abusive leader, but the coup was mismanaged because the coup makers25 rejected everything that the previous leader did," he said. "So it has not solve much in the past year, apart from kicking out Thaksin. And now it poses more risk as the military becomes more institutionalized and involved in Thai politics."
Life is not better for Orathai, who sells flowers at her stand on a Bangkok street from six in the morning until nine at night. She hopes to save enough to buy a house for herself and her mother. She says she does not know much about politics, but she does know that life has gotten harder for her.
"I can say that last year, life was better. This year has been worse," she said. "Things are more expensive, and I am selling less."
Economists26 concur27 that the past 12 months have been a lost year for Thailand. Foreign investment slowed. Analysts28 warn the country may be losing its competitive edge to the cheaper labor29 markets of China and Vietnam. At the same time, they say Thailand is falling short of its goals to compete with the high-value, technology based economies of Malaysia, Singapore, and Taiwan.
Over the past year, many Thais have gone bankrupt, unable to repay loans that were made on easy credit terms under the Thaksin government - one of the policies that made him popular among the middle and lower classes.
Thailand's voters do not yet know who will run in December's elections or what policies will be on offer. Coup leader Sonthi Boonyaratglin is due to retire from the Army in the coming days and his role in Thailand's political future is still not clear.
One year after the coup, Mr. Thaksin is in exile but looms30 large. Thais remain deeply divided between those who called for Mr. Thaksin's overthrow31 and those who still support him.
1 overthrew | |
overthrow的过去式 | |
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2 corrupt | |
v.贿赂,收买;adj.腐败的,贪污的 | |
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3 interim | |
adj.暂时的,临时的;n.间歇,过渡期间 | |
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4 ousted | |
驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 ); 革职; 罢黜; 剥夺 | |
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5 coup | |
n.政变;突然而成功的行动 | |
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6 uncertainty | |
n.易变,靠不住,不确知,不确定的事物 | |
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7 stagnation | |
n. 停滞 | |
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8 accomplished | |
adj.有才艺的;有造诣的;达到了的 | |
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9 corruption | |
n.腐败,堕落,贪污 | |
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10 controversy | |
n.争论,辩论,争吵 | |
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11 sweeping | |
adj.范围广大的,一扫无遗的 | |
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12 graft | |
n.移植,嫁接,艰苦工作,贪污;v.移植,嫁接 | |
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13 noted | |
adj.著名的,知名的 | |
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14 tenure | |
n.终身职位;任期;(土地)保有权,保有期 | |
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15 quell | |
v.压制,平息,减轻 | |
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16 cronyism | |
n.任人唯亲,对好朋友的偏袒 | |
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17 demonstrations | |
证明( demonstration的名词复数 ); 表明; 表达; 游行示威 | |
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18 elite | |
n.精英阶层;实力集团;adj.杰出的,卓越的 | |
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19 monarchy | |
n.君主,最高统治者;君主政体,君主国 | |
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20 ushered | |
v.引,领,陪同( usher的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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21 turmoil | |
n.骚乱,混乱,动乱 | |
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22 plunges | |
n.跳进,投入vt.使投入,使插入,使陷入vi.投入,跳进,陷入v.颠簸( plunge的第三人称单数 );暴跌;骤降;突降 | |
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23 questionable | |
adj.可疑的,有问题的 | |
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24 analyst | |
n.分析家,化验员;心理分析学家 | |
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25 makers | |
n.制造者,制造商(maker的复数形式) | |
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26 economists | |
n.经济学家,经济专家( economist的名词复数 ) | |
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27 concur | |
v.同意,意见一致,互助,同时发生 | |
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28 analysts | |
分析家,化验员( analyst的名词复数 ) | |
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29 labor | |
n.劳动,努力,工作,劳工;分娩;vi.劳动,努力,苦干;vt.详细分析;麻烦 | |
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30 looms | |
n.织布机( loom的名词复数 )v.隐约出现,阴森地逼近( loom的第三人称单数 );隐约出现,阴森地逼近 | |
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31 overthrow | |
v.推翻,打倒,颠覆;n.推翻,瓦解,颠覆 | |
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