VOA慢速英语--东帝汶独立公投20周年

East Timor Marks 20 Years since Independence Vote

East Timor is marking the 20th anniversary of a special referendum that ended 24 years of Indonesian rule and led to its independence.

Many East Timorese are remembering how the vote fueled violence by pro-Indonesia militias². They blame the militias for 1,500 deaths and pushing another 500,000 people out of their homes.

The country’s capital, the city of Dili, has been preparing for the arrival of foreign diplomats³ for anniversary celebrations that will last until the end of September.

Today visitors to Dili will find freshly painted structures and newly repaired streets. They will also find people who are angry about what happened 20 years ago.

Joao Borras, now 37, was forced to flee as militia¹ members shot and killed his two best friends and set fire to his home.

Borras says the killings⁵ were supported by government operatives who watched every move.

“It’s a horrible life actually...There’s a lot of people killed, but you didn’t see because they took you in the night time. They said ‘let’s go for interviews’ – and you will not come back the next morning.”

The struggle since independence

United Nations peacekeeping troops arrived in East Timor three weeks after the August 30, 1999 vote and ended the unrest. Independence followed on May 20, 2002. Voters elected resistance leader Xanana Gusmao as the country’s first president.

Since then, East Timor has struggled to develop its democracy and build an economy. Conflict and ongoing⁶ internal fighting have limited its ability to interest foreign investors⁷.

In 2006, the UN sent security forces to restore order after 155,000 people fled their homes to escape fighting between competing groups. Then, in early 2008, President Jose Ramos-Horta was critically wounded in an assassination⁸ attempt.

The presence of peacekeeping forces briefly⁹ helped East Timor’s economy. But since their deployment¹⁰ ended in 2012, the gross domestic product has fallen to less than $3 billion. Other measures of the economy are sketchy¹¹. Even the country’s leadership questions the official unemployment rate of 3.5%.

“Unemployment is a constant concern,” President Francisco Guterres said during a speech to mark the independence vote. “Our economy has been in recession since 2017, which has had an impact on the job market.”

Guterres noted¹² that 60 percent of East Timorese are of working age, but only 19 percent of them are in the job market.

The bright side

Another issue is East Timor's foreign relations with much larger countries like Australia, China and Indonesia. Foreign aid, earnings¹³ from the sale of oil and gas and infrastructure¹⁴ projects have fallen far short of expectations.

However, East Timor is pushing for membership to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). And the country’s dispute with Australia over sea borders and earnings from nearby oil and gas claims appears to be ending.

Under a settlement with Australia, East Timor will get a bigger share of the Greater Sunrise oil and gas fields. Australia will also repair a naval¹⁵ base and improve high-speed Internet traffic. Many observers see these moves as an Australian effort to strengthen its influence in the area.

Filmmaker Lyndal Barry has followed developments in East Timor since the early 1990s. He says the government should be praised for creating an effective police force and military.

He added, “There needs to be more done maybe in tourism, there needs to be more done in the countryside and to help people to rebuild there and be able to stand on their own two feet.”

Michael Maley worked for the Australian Electoral Commission as part of an international team that prepared for the 1999 referendum. He says two big changes were taking place in East Timor.

“One is the effect of independence and they're being a self-governing country, meeting their long term aspirations¹⁷. But the other thing that has happened at the same time is they’ve been hit by globalization," he said. "Everyone has a mobile phone, everybody is using Facebook and social media to communicate."

Joao Borras told VOA that life in East Timor 20 years after the violence had improved, especially in the countryside.

He said, “Right now is clearly safe and secure, economic things are up and down but our life is great, better and I feel free and I’m enjoying my life, and my family and my friends.”

I'm Jonathan Evans.

Words in This Story

interview – n. a meeting of two or more people face-to-face

assassination – n. the act of killing⁴ someone, usually for political purposes

Gross Domestic Product – n. the total value of goods and service provided in a country during a single year

sketchy – n. lacking in detail; dishonest

infrastructure – n. the buildings, power supplies, roads and other structures needed for a country or business to operate effectively

tourism – n. the operation of vacations and visits to places of interest

stand on their own two feet – expression. being to support oneself without help from other people

aspiration¹⁶ – n. hope or desire

globalization – n. the process by which businesses start operating in other countries

1 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

2 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

3 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

5 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

6 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

7 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

8 assassination   

n.暗杀；暗杀事件

参考例句：

• The assassination of the president brought matters to a head.总统遭暗杀使事态到了严重关头。
• Lincoln's assassination in 1865 shocked the whole nation.1865年，林肯遇刺事件震惊全美国。

9 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

10 deployment   

n. 部署,展开

参考例句：

• He has inquired out the deployment of the enemy troops. 他已查出敌军的兵力部署情况。
• Quality function deployment (QFD) is a widely used customer-driven quality, design and manufacturing management tool. 质量功能展开(quality function deployment,QFD)是一个广泛应用的顾客需求驱动的设计、制造和质量管理工具。

11 sketchy   

adj.写生的，写生风格的，概略的

参考例句：

• The material he supplied is too sketchy.他提供的材料过于简略。
• Details of what actually happened are still sketchy.对于已发生事实的详细情况知道的仍然有限。

12 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

13 earnings   

n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得

参考例句：

• That old man lives on the earnings of his daughter.那个老人靠他女儿的收入维持生活。
• Last year there was a 20% decrease in his earnings.去年他的收入减少了20%。

14 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

15 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

16 aspiration   

n.志向，志趣抱负；渴望；(语)送气音；吸出

参考例句：

• Man's aspiration should be as lofty as the stars.人的志气应当象天上的星星那么高。
• Young Addison had a strong aspiration to be an inventor.年幼的爱迪生渴望成为一名发明家。

17 aspirations   

强烈的愿望( aspiration的名词复数 )； 志向； 发送气音； 发 h 音

参考例句：

• I didn't realize you had political aspirations. 我没有意识到你有政治上的抱负。
• The new treaty embodies the aspirations of most nonaligned countries. 新条约体现了大多数不结盟国家的愿望。