VOA双语新闻 Undernourishment Among Burmese Children（在线收听）

A senior U.N. official says there is an alarming rate of malnutrition among Burma's children. The head of the World Food Program is urging the government to change policies that he says are hurting efforts to combat the problem.

一名联合国高级官员表示，缅甸儿童营养不良比例之高令人关注。世界粮食计划署负责人敦促缅甸政府改变政策，他认为这些政策妨碍了解决营养不良问题的工作。

The director of the World Food Program, James Morris, says one-third of Burma's children are chronically malnourished, and, in some areas, the proportion is as high as two-thirds. And, noting that many mothers are also malnourished, he said the humanitarian cost is enormous.

世界粮食计划署负责人莫里斯说，缅甸三分之一的儿童长期营养不良，有些地区的比例甚至高达三分之二。他提到，很多母亲也有营养不良问题，这方面的人道援助耗资巨大。

"When numbers this large of children are at risk, to say nothing of the anemia condition of so many women in the country, the country's future is severely at risk," he said.

莫里斯说，“面临危险的孩子数量如此之多，更不用说缅甸还有好多女性贫血，这个国家的未来可以说是岌岌可危。”

Mr. Morris, talking to reporters in Bangkok after a trip through Burma, said Burmese government policies on agriculture, marketing and the movement of people make it difficult for many Burmese to subsist.

莫里斯此前走访了缅甸各地，他对记者说，缅甸政府在农业、市场以及人民迁徙方面的政策给很多缅甸人造成困难，让他们难以维持生计。

He said the WFP is allowed to operate in Burma with relatively few restrictions. But he said many humanitarian workers are hampered by complex bureaucratic procedures, taxes and market restrictions on staples, such as rice.

莫里斯说，世界粮食计划署虽然获准在缅甸开展工作，几乎不受什么限制，但是很多人道工作人员受到困扰，包括繁琐的官僚程序、税收、对主要产品比如稻米的市场限制等等。

"The government needs to be much more thoughtful and committed to addressing these tough issues that I have described," he said.

莫里斯说，“缅甸政府必须考虑得更周全，致力于解决我提到的这些棘手问题。”

The WFP director said he sought to make this point in a meeting Thursday, with Burma's prime minister. He also met with some of the political opposition, though not with detained leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

世界粮食计划署负责人莫里斯说，他星期四和缅甸总理会晤时试图阐明这一点。他也和一些政治反对派人士见了面，但是没有见到被软禁的反对派领袖昂山素季。

Burma's political situation has received worldwide attention, and the United States, the European Union and the United Nations have been harshly critical of the continued detention of Aung San Suu Kyi. But the problem of hunger in the country is not widely known.

缅甸的政治局势一直受到国际关注，美国、欧盟以及联合国都对昂山素季持续受到软禁提出强烈批评，但是缅甸存在饥饿问题并不太为外界所知。

Mr. Morris emphasized that his mission was not political, and was not related to efforts by the United Nations to push Burma's military leaders toward political reform.

莫里斯强调他的使命不带政治性，和联合国敦促缅甸军事领导人进行政治改革没有关系。

The WFP currently provides food aid to three-quarters-of-a-million Burmese, including former growers of opium poppies, refugees returning from Bangladesh, and a growing population of HIV/AIDS victims.

世界粮食计划署目前为75万缅甸人提供食品援助，其中包括以前曾经种植罂粟的人、从孟加拉国返回的难民、以及越来越多的艾滋病患者或是艾滋病毒携带者。

Some critics of the Burmese government oppose any international aid to the country, saying it only strengthens the military regime. Others, however, say restrictions on humanitarian aid only hurt the Burmese people.

有些缅甸政府的批评人士反对向这个国家提供任何国际援助，认为这只会加强其军事政权。其他人士则认为限制人道援助只会伤害缅甸人民。