腐败困扰缅甸公路和玉贸易

AS IT IS 2015-11-01 Myanmar Corruption¹ Plagues Highways, Jade² Trade 腐败困扰缅甸公路和玉贸易

Corruption continues to cut into the government treasury³ in Myanmar.

The southeast Asian nation – also known as Burma – has endured six decades of civil war. Some Burmese military officials profit from the secret jade trade to finance the conflict. Others use fraud and deception⁴ for financial gain along a new highway.

Myanmar’s jade industry is a tool of corruption. The precious green stone trade is worth more than $30 billion a year. That total is nearly half of the country’s gross domestic product, states a report from the London-based group, Global Witness.

The Global Witness report alleges⁵ the majority of the jade trade profits are linked to a select few. Ex-juntas – like former military ruler General Than Shwe - earn money from the trade. Other military figures and drug lords also make large profits.

Profits from jade mining and trading collected by the military funds the war against the rebels. Global Witness spokesperson Juman Kubba says little money ends up in the government’s hands.   

Jade is also a main source of income for the rebels. The Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) gets revenue from timber, gold and jade. The KIO – like many in the country - also uses highway tolls⁷ to make money.

In the Karen state of Myanmar, a newly completed highway cuts travel times. The tolls make it expensive. The road is paved. It replaces a dangerous mountain trail.

Some residents are less than happy with the road. Landowners near the road say they have been cheated. One man claimed government officials and surveyors reduced the number of hectares he owned. He was then paid less for his land.

One man protested the deal. The government told him to accept the transaction. They said he could not post any type of information on the Internet.

The construction surprised merchants in Tha Ya Gon. Shop owners said signs appeared stating property now belonged to the government.

Today, the highway building pushes forward. Peace is fragile in the highway’s region. Territory is controlled by factions⁸ of the ethnic⁹ Karen army.

But residents and businessmen hope for peace.

Words in This Story

endure – v. to continue to exist in the same state or condition

toll⁶ – n. an amount of money that you are required to pay for the use of a road or bridge

hectare – n. a unit of area in the metric system that is equal to 10,000 square meters or 2.47 acres

1 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

2 jade   

n.玉石；碧玉；翡翠

参考例句：

• The statue was carved out of jade.这座塑像是玉雕的。
• He presented us with a couple of jade lions.他送给我们一对玉狮子。

3 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

4 deception   

n.欺骗，欺诈；骗局，诡计

参考例句：

• He admitted conspiring to obtain property by deception.他承认曾与人合谋骗取财产。
• He was jailed for two years for fraud and deception.他因为诈骗和欺诈入狱服刑两年。

5 alleges   

断言，宣称，辩解( allege的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The newspaper article alleges that the mayor is corrupt. 报纸上断言该市长腐败。
• Steven was tardy this morning and alleges that his bus was late. 史提芬今天早上迟到的说词是公车误点了。

6 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

7 tolls   

（缓慢而有规律的）钟声( toll的名词复数 )； 通行费； 损耗； （战争、灾难等造成的）毁坏

参考例句：

• A man collected tolls at the gateway. 一个人在大门口收通行费。
• The long-distance call tolls amount to quite a sum. 长途电话费数目相当可观。

8 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别

9 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。