美国国家公共电台 NPR--Voters in Thailand, led by young people, are expected to demand change

Voters in Thailand, led by young people, are expected to demand change

Transcript¹

A progressive political party popular with young people is challenging the status quo in Thailand, where voters will go to the polls on Sunday after nine years of military-backed rule.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

Voters in Thailand will go to the polls on Sunday for an election that will see the military and its proxy² parties trying to extend their nine-year-long rule. The opposition³ aims to end it. NPR's Michael Sullivan has this report from Bangkok.

MICHAEL SULLIVAN, BYLINE⁴: The leading candidates for prime minister include two former coup⁵ leaders, a health minister who just decriminalized dope and the heir to a political dynasty whose father and aunt were both deposed⁶ by the military and are now in exile. Then there's the Harvard-educated businessman whose progressive party hopes to reclaim⁷ what he calls the lost decade under military-backed rule.

PITA LIMJAROENRAT: My name is Pita Limjaroenrat. I'm the prime ministerial candidate for Thailand from Move Forward Party.

SULLIVAN: Move Forward's predecessor⁸, Future Forward, burst onto the scene ahead of the 2019 election, a brand-new party that took aim at the military and the monarchy⁹ and finished a surprising third. That alarmed the royalist establishment, whose courts quickly dissolved the party and banned its leaders from politics. The rebranded party's message is simple.

LIMJAROENRAT: Demilitarize, demonopolize and decentralize - that's how you democratize Thailand. That's the endgame. Take military out of politics so that we don't have military coup every seven years on average.

SULLIVAN: Sounds simple, but it's not, says Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a political scientist at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University.

THITINAN PONGSUDHIRAK: In Thailand's constitutional framework, the military and the monarchy have been above and beyond reproach, above and beyond the Constitution, and Move Forward is trying to constitutionalize them, making military and monarchy accountable, transparent¹⁰. Reforms are overdue¹¹, and Move Forward is calling out for it. And that's why it's gaining a lot of traction¹² and momentum¹³.

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UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: (Non-English language spoken).

SULLIVAN: It's a message that resonates with young people, in particular, the majority at this Move Forward rally in Bangkok. Twenty-nine-year-old office worker Waruntorn Jariyakornkul.

WARUNTORN JARIYAKORNKUL: Because it's only party that dares to say the truth. And they do it, like, the straight way, say straight and act straight.

SULLIVAN: Saying it straight, acting¹⁴ straight is part of what got Move Forward's predecessor dissolved in 2020, and that did not go over well.

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UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTER: (Non-English language spoken).

UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTERS: (Non-English language spoken).

UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTER: (Non-English language spoken).

UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTERS: (Non-English language spoken).

SULLIVAN: Many furious, suddenly disenfranchised young Thais protested in large numbers, calling for the military-backed government to step down and for curbs¹⁵ on the power of the monarchy. But eventually the protests were snuffed out, in large part by employing harsh lese-majeste laws that prohibit any criticism of the monarchy and can result in prison terms of up to 15 years. Hundreds have been charged since, including 21-year-old Tantawan Tuatulanon.

TANTAWAN TUATULANON: There's no future now, and I'm not sure there's going to be future for the young generation. If the political system remains¹⁶ the same, I think we're going to die.

SULLIVAN: Tantawan and a friend's alleged¹⁷ crime was taking a poll at a mall asking people if they were inconvenienced by royal motorcades. They were released on bail¹⁸ after going on a hunger strike. Young people like her are helping¹⁹ fuel Move Forward's surge in the polls. It's not likely to win but could do well enough to join a coalition²⁰ government if it's not dissolved again. Party leader Pita says he's ready.

LIMJAROENRAT: I have my succession plan. I have my pipeline²¹ of talent. The worst-case scenario²², if we were going to be kneecapped again - that next 10 people who will take over the party management to make sure that our journey keeps going forward. So if it doesn't work this time, it will work next time.

SULLIVAN: Michael Sullivan, NPR News, Bangkok.

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1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 proxy   

n.代理权，代表权；（对代理人的）委托书；代理人

参考例句：

• You may appoint a proxy to vote for you.你可以委托他人代你投票。
• We enclose a form of proxy for use at the Annual General Meeting.我们附上委任年度大会代表的表格。

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 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

6 deposed   

v.罢免( depose的过去式和过去分词 )；（在法庭上）宣誓作证

参考例句：

• The president was deposed in a military coup. 总统在军事政变中被废黜。
• The head of state was deposed by the army. 国家元首被军队罢免了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 reclaim   

v.要求归还，收回；开垦

参考例句：

• I have tried to reclaim my money without success.我没能把钱取回来。
• You must present this ticket when you reclaim your luggage.当你要取回行李时，必须出示这张票子。

8 predecessor   

n.前辈，前任

参考例句：

• It will share the fate of its predecessor.它将遭受与前者同样的命运。
• The new ambassador is more mature than his predecessor.新大使比他的前任更成熟一些。

9 monarchy   

n.君主，最高统治者；君主政体，君主国

参考例句：

• The monarchy in England plays an important role in British culture.英格兰的君主政体在英国文化中起重要作用。
• The power of the monarchy in Britain today is more symbolical than real.今日英国君主的权力多为象徵性的，无甚实际意义。

10 transparent   

adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的

参考例句：

• The water is so transparent that we can see the fishes swimming.水清澈透明，可以看到鱼儿游来游去。
• The window glass is transparent.窗玻璃是透明的。

11 overdue   

adj.过期的，到期未付的；早该有的，迟到的

参考例句：

• The plane is overdue and has been delayed by the bad weather.飞机晚点了，被坏天气耽搁了。
• The landlady is angry because the rent is overdue.女房东生气了，因为房租过期未付。

12 traction   

n.牵引；附着摩擦力

参考例句：

• I'll show you how the traction is applied.我会让你看如何做这种牵引。
• She's injured her back and is in traction for a month.她背部受伤，正在作一个月的牵引治疗。

13 momentum   

n.动力，冲力，势头；动量

参考例句：

• We exploit the energy and momentum conservation laws in this way.我们就是这样利用能量和动量守恒定律的。
• The law of momentum conservation could supplant Newton's third law.动量守恒定律可以取代牛顿第三定律。

14 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。

15 curbs   

v.限制，克制，抑制( curb的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• In executing his functions he is not bound by any legal curbs on his power. 在他履行职务时，他的权力是不受任何法律约束的。 来自辞典例句
• Curbs on air travel were being worked out and would shortly be announced. 限制航空旅行的有关规定正在拟定中，不久即将公布。 来自辞典例句

16 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。

17 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

18 bail   

v.舀（水），保释；n.保证金，保释，保释人

参考例句：

• One of the prisoner's friends offered to bail him out.犯人的一个朋友答应保释他出来。
• She has been granted conditional bail.她被准予有条件保释。

19 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

20 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

21 pipeline   

n.管道，管线

参考例句：

• The pipeline supplies Jordan with 15 per cent of its crude oil.该管道供给约旦15%的原油。
• A single pipeline serves all the houses with water.一条单管路给所有的房子供水。

22 scenario   

n.剧本，脚本；概要

参考例句：

• But the birth scenario is not completely accurate.然而分娩脚本并非完全准确的。
• This is a totally different scenario.这是完全不同的剧本。