VOA常速英语2013--缅甸罗兴亚难民逃至马来西亚

 

In Malaysia, Refugee Arrivals From Burma Strain Resources 缅甸罗兴亚难民逃至马来西亚

KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia is home to an estimated 30,000 Muslim refugees from Burma. Most are from the Rohingya ethnic¹ group, which the United Nations has described as  the world’s most persecuted² minority. But an influx³ of new Muslim refugees fleeing bloodshed in Burma’s Rakhine state is adding even more strain on this community  and its limited resources.

Some of the Muslim refugees from Burma have been in Malaysia for 20 years.

从缅甸而来的穆斯林难民20年来一直生活在马来西亚。

Community activists⁵ believe that several thousand more have arrived in the past year-and-a-half, fleeing anti-Muslim violence in the state of Rakhine.

社会活动家们认为在过去的一年半中有几千人逃离若开反穆斯林的暴力流血事件来到这个国家。

Most of them are from the Rohingya ethnic group.

他们中的大多数来自罗兴亚的少数民族部落。

But other Burmese Muslims, who are not Rohingya, said they too had no choice but to make the perilous⁶ sea journey to Malaysia.

但其他不是罗兴亚的缅甸穆斯林人称他们也别无选择,只能选择危险的海上旅行来到马来西亚。

Raahimah Nur Boshur said some of her relatives were killed when a mob burnt down her village.

拉希玛·努尔·波舒尔称自己的一些亲戚在暴民烧毁她的村庄时丧生。

“There was no way we could stay.

“我们没有办法活下去。

The only way we could save our lives was to leave the country, to escape anywhere.

我们可以救自己的唯一方法就是离开这个国家,逃到任何地方。

We lost everything,” she said.

我们失去了一切,”她说道。

The recent influx is straining the community's already limited resources.

最近涌入的难民已经让社区有限的资源感到吃紧。

Muslim charities help out with food donations.

穆斯林慈善机构帮助食物捐赠。

And the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, provides various aid and issues the asylum⁷ seekers cards identifying them as refugees.

而UNHCR，即联合国难民署提供各种援助并且签发给这些寻求庇护的人们难民卡片。

But Malaysia has not ratified⁸ the U.N. convention on refugees, leaving these people in a legal limbo⁹.

但是马来西亚并不认可联合国难民公约,这就造成难民们成了法律管辖的真空地带。

They are unable to send their children to state schools or work legally.

他们无法送自己的孩子去公立学校或合法工作。

Social activist⁴ Irene Fernandez said this made them extremely vulnerable.

社会活动家艾琳·费尔南德斯表示这使得他们变得极度弱势。

“They are deemed to be undocumented by all enforcement agencies.

“他们都被执法机构认为是没有合法文件。

Even when they go and try and get a job, they are going to be in a very exploitative situation because the employers know they cannot seek redress,” said Fernandez.

即使试着找份工作,他们也会处于一种极度受到剥削的情况,因为雇主们清楚这些人不能要求赔偿,”费尔南德斯说道。

The Malaysian government recently said it would consider issuing work permits to the refugees.

马来西亚政府最近表示将考虑向难民们发放工作许可证。

Mohammad Sadek, a Rohingya community leader, welcomed the idea but said the refugees would still need significant help from the U.N.

罗兴亚社区领导人穆罕默德·萨德克欢迎这个想法但表示难民仍需要来自联合国大量帮助。

“The U.N. agencies should not stop its obligations, and the U.N. agencies should continue its facilities to resettle them to other countries and to extend financial  assistance, medical assistance, and other necessary initiatives for the welfare of refugees," he said.

“联合国机构不应停止其义务,而且联合国机构应该继续行使权力安置难民到其他国家,还要为难民的福利扩大金融援助、医疗救助、和其他必需品,”他说道。

Most of the refugees said they would be happy to settle in Malaysia if the government would ever consider absorbing them into this mainly Muslim society.

大多数难民表示如果政府考虑吸收他们进入到这个以穆斯林为主的社会，他们很乐意在马来西亚安顿下来。

1 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。

2 persecuted   

（尤指宗教或政治信仰的）迫害(~sb. for sth.)( persecute的过去式和过去分词 )； 烦扰，困扰或骚扰某人

参考例句：

• Throughout history, people have been persecuted for their religious beliefs. 人们因宗教信仰而受迫害的情况贯穿了整个历史。
• Members of these sects are ruthlessly persecuted and suppressed. 这些教派的成员遭到了残酷的迫害和镇压。

3 influx   

n.流入，注入

参考例句：

• The country simply cannot absorb this influx of refugees.这个国家实在不能接纳这么多涌入的难民。
• Textile workers favoured protection because they feared an influx of cheap cloth.纺织工人拥护贸易保护措施，因为他们担心涌入廉价纺织品。

4 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

5 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》

6 perilous   

adj.危险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• The journey through the jungle was perilous.穿过丛林的旅行充满了危险。
• We have been carried in safety through a perilous crisis.历经一连串危机，我们如今已安然无恙。

7 asylum   

n.避难所，庇护所，避难

参考例句：

• The people ask for political asylum.人们请求政治避难。
• Having sought asylum in the West for many years,they were eventually granted it.他们最终获得了在西方寻求多年的避难权。

8 ratified   

v.批准，签认（合约等）( ratify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The treaty was declared invalid because it had not been ratified. 条约没有得到批准，因此被宣布无效。
• The treaty was ratified by all the member states. 这个条约得到了所有成员国的批准。

9 limbo   

n.地狱的边缘；监狱

参考例句：

• His life seemed stuck in limbo and he could not go forward and he could not go back.他的生活好像陷入了不知所措的境地，进退两难。
• I didn't know whether my family was alive or dead.I felt as if I was in limbo.我不知道家人是生是死，感觉自己茫然无措。