2007年VOA标准英语-Protesting Burmese Monks March to Aung San Suu

By Ron Corben
Bangkok
22 September 2007

Hundreds of protesting Buddhist¹ monks² marched past the home of Burma's detained opposition³ leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, in Rangoon Saturday, in a further challenge to the country's military leadership. As Ron Corben reports from VOA's Bangkok bureau, the protests that began last week show no signs of ending.

Several hundred Buddhist monks passed through military barricades⁴ to the road entrance of Burma's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, according to witnesses.

Witnesses say Aung San Suu Kyi, who remains⁵ under house arrest, came to the gates of her University Avenue compound, where the monks said prayers before leaving.

In the central northern city of Mandalay, witnesses said, an estimated 10,000 people, including about 4,000 monks, marched through the streets, making it one of the largest demonstrations⁶ against the military government since a 1988 pro-democracy uprising. Those protests were violently put down by the military, leaving hundreds dead and injured.

Debbit Stothardt, spokeswoman for the human rights group the Alternative ASEAN network on Burma, said the march to Aung San Suu Kyi's residence marked a significant development.

"It is very significant that the monks have been able to get through the barricades to pay Aung San Suu Kyi a visit, and it's extremely significant that Aung San Suu Kyi came out and paid homage⁷ to them," she said. "It is quite clear now that what the monks are doing has not just a spiritual legitimacy⁸, but a political legitimacy." 

In a written statement released after the march, a group calling itself the All Burma Monks Alliance, urged citizens to join with the monks' protest against the military government. Burma's military has been in power since 1962.

Protests began last month, after the military sharply increased fuel prices. The initial wave of protests by civilian⁹ Burmese led to many arrests and injuries after beatings by pro-government gangs. In recent days, the Buddhist monks, deeply respected in the country, began marching.

Stothardt says the hardline military is now under pressure.

"This is a public confrontation¹⁰ against the military of Burma that has not happened since 1988," she said. "Basically, the army is in a 'lose-lose' situation. If they crack down on the monks now, it is going to cause such a backlash internationally and domestically."

The military has said it has been moving the country toward democracy after a constitutional assembly recently completed the drafting of a new charter. The military says the new constitution will lead to fresh general elections, but no date has been set.

In May 1990, Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy won a landslide¹¹ victory in general elections, but the party was never able to assume power.

Human rights groups say there are some 1,100 pro-democracy activists¹² being held in jail or under house arrest throughout the country.

1 Buddhist   

adj./n.佛教的，佛教徒

参考例句：

• The old lady fell down in adoration before Buddhist images.那老太太在佛像面前顶礼膜拜。
• In the eye of the Buddhist,every worldly affair is vain.在佛教徒的眼里，人世上一切事情都是空的。

2 monks   

n.修道士，僧侣( monk的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The monks lived a very ascetic life. 僧侣过着很清苦的生活。
• He had been trained rigorously by the monks. 他接受过修道士的严格训练。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 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。

4 barricades   

路障，障碍物( barricade的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The police stormed the barricades the demonstrators had put up. 警察冲破了示威者筑起的街垒。
• Others died young, in prison or on the barricades. 另一些人年轻时就死在监牢里或街垒旁。

5 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。

6 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。

7 homage   

n.尊敬，敬意，崇敬

参考例句：

• We pay homage to the genius of Shakespeare.我们对莎士比亚的天才表示敬仰。
• The soldiers swore to pay their homage to the Queen.士兵们宣誓效忠于女王陛下。

8 legitimacy   

n.合法，正当

参考例句：

• The newspaper was directly challenging the government's legitimacy.报纸直接质疑政府的合法性。
• Managing from the top down,we operate with full legitimacy.我们进行由上而下的管理有充分的合法性。

9 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。

10 confrontation   

n.对抗，对峙，冲突

参考例句：

• We can't risk another confrontation with the union.我们不能冒再次同工会对抗的危险。
• After years of confrontation,they finally have achieved a modus vivendi.在对抗很长时间后，他们最后达成安宁生存的非正式协议。

11 landslide   

n.(竞选中)压倒多数的选票；一面倒的胜利

参考例句：

• Our candidate is predicated to win by a landslide.我们的候选人被预言将以绝对优势取胜。
• An electoral landslide put the Labour Party into power in 1945.1945年工党以压倒多数的胜利当选执政。

12 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》