Can Thai Royalty Stop the Violence?

 

By Brent Hurd

Violence continues to escalate¹ between Buddhists³ and Muslims in southern Thailand in the wake of a government action that killed scores of Muslims. Civic⁴ leaders fear still more bloodshed after the incident that Thai troops forced more than a thousand Muslim protesters into trucks on October 25th. Some 80 died, mostly from suffocation⁵ after being held for hours stacked on top of one another.

Thailand is predominantly Buddhist² except in the southern four provinces where the population is ethnic⁶ Malay and about 85 percent Muslim. Unrest here has flared⁷ for decades, says Karl Jackson, professor of Southeast Asian studies at the Johns Hopkins University in Washington. "The south has been a difficult area for all Thai governments from the middle of the 20th century onwards," he said. "This is a chronic⁸ problem. In the long run the solution will probably have to be greater autonomy for the south, but in the current conditions, with people's emotions so raw, it is a very difficult time to start a negotiation⁹ that would have a reasonable probability of success."

While violence has waxed and waned¹⁰ in the south, the Thai royal family has been active in the troubled region for decades. They are one of the most loved and respected monarchies¹¹ on earth. In part, that reverence¹² stems from its efforts to help the less fortunate throughout their country. Queen Sirikit has been especially committed to the southern province of Narathiwat, where she spends a month every year. This time she extended her stay and visited villagers and the royal palace career training centers.

In the village of Bukit Senor, Ruyiah Samateh sheers a lipao vine to create strong yet pliable¹³ strands¹⁴ used to make exquisite¹⁵ baskets that last for centuries. Mrs. Samateh and her family, like many Muslim villagers in southern Thailand, tap rubber and cultivate rice for a living. She has learned from the royal family how to create lipao baskets that she sells in Bangkok. The queen says the queen takes a strong interest in her work. "Each year the queen comes here and she has a competition for the best basket. Anyone who enters will earn more and the first price wins 35,000 Baht, enough money to buy land or build a house."

A smiling Mrs. Samateh adds that she feels happy and safe when the queen is in the area. The queen's portrait is displayed throughout the province on buildings, in national parks and on university campuses -- often bedecked with lights and fresh flowers.

But is such economic and moral support from the royal family enough to bring peace to a region suffering from nearly a year of escalating¹⁶ bloodshed?

The Thai king recently advised Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to be more lenient¹⁷ in dealing¹⁸ with the south and involve local people in solving their problems. Karl Jackson of Johns Hopkins University says the king's words carry weight with everyone in Thailand, including the prime minister. "His majesty¹⁹, King Bhumibol, is the most revered²⁰ person in the country, and as a result, he has a substantial influence on all prime ministers of Thailand."

However, the king has no political power under Thailand's constitutional monarchy²¹. He rarely intercedes²² in government affairs and only does so when the country is facing a crisis.

Mr. Jackson says the king's appeal is not a matter of blind faith in royalty²³ but a direct result of a lifetime of actions. "He has, over the course of his long reign²⁴, walked into literally²⁵ every village in Thailand. The king has expressed his affection for his people in real terms. He has not been a king who has simply sat in a palace."

But analysts²⁶ say it will be difficult to stop the latest wave of bloodshed. A flurry of revenge attacks against Buddhists have killed more than ten people in the last week, including railway workers and a Buddhist monk²⁷. On Friday, Prime Minster Thaksin said that separatists are intensifying²⁸ violence in hopes of a brutal²⁹ government response that would boost foreign support for their aims.

For focus, this is Brent Hurd.

注释：
escalate 逐步上升
Buddhist 佛教徒
bloodshed 流血
suffocation 窒息
Malay 马来人
chronic 延续很长时间的
autonomy 自治
raw 刺痛的
wax 增大
wane 变小
reverence 威望
pliable 柔韧的
strand 绳
exquisite 精致的
cultivate 耕种
Bangkok 曼谷
Baht 铢（泰国货币单位）
bedeck 装饰，装点
lenient 宽大的，仁慈的
majesty 最高权威，王权
intensify 加强

1 escalate   

v.(使)逐步增长(或发展)，(使)逐步升级

参考例句：

• It would tempt Israel's neighbors to escalate their demands.它将诱使以色列的邻国不断把他们的要求升级。
• Defeat could cause one side or other to escalate the conflict.失败可能会导致其中一方将冲突升级。

2 Buddhist   

adj./n.佛教的，佛教徒

参考例句：

• The old lady fell down in adoration before Buddhist images.那老太太在佛像面前顶礼膜拜。
• In the eye of the Buddhist,every worldly affair is vain.在佛教徒的眼里，人世上一切事情都是空的。

3 Buddhists   

n.佛教徒( Buddhist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Jesuits in a phase of ascendancy, persecuted and insulted the Buddhists with great acrimony. 处于地位上升阶段的耶稣会修士迫害佛教徒，用尖刻的语言辱骂他们。 来自英汉非文学 - 历史
• The return of Saivite rule to central Java had brought no antagonism between Buddhists and Hindus. 湿婆教在中爪哇恢复统治后，并没有导致佛教徒与印度教徒之间的对立。 来自辞典例句

4 civic   

adj.城市的，都市的，市民的，公民的

参考例句：

• I feel it is my civic duty to vote.我认为投票选举是我作为公民的义务。
• The civic leaders helped to forward the project.市政府领导者协助促进工程的进展。

5 suffocation   

n.窒息

参考例句：

• The greatest dangers of pyroclastic avalanches are probably heat and suffocation. 火成碎屑崩落的最大危害可能是炽热和窒息作用。 来自辞典例句
• The room was hot to suffocation. 房间热得闷人。 来自辞典例句

6 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。

7 Flared   

adj. 端部张开的, 爆发的, 加宽的, 漏斗式的 动词flare的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The match flared and went out. 火柴闪亮了一下就熄了。
• The fire flared up when we thought it was out. 我们以为火已经熄灭，但它突然又燃烧起来。

8 chronic   

adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的

参考例句：

• Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
• Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。

9 negotiation   

n.谈判，协商

参考例句：

• They closed the deal in sugar after a week of negotiation.经过一星期的谈判，他们的食糖生意成交了。
• The negotiation dragged on until July.谈判一直拖到7月份。

10 waned   

v.衰落( wane的过去式和过去分词 )；（月）亏；变小；变暗淡

参考例句：

• However,my enthusiasm waned.The time I spent at exercises gradually diminished. 然而，我的热情减退了。我在做操上花的时间逐渐减少了。 来自《用法词典》
• The bicycle craze has waned. 自行车热已冷下去了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

11 monarchies   

n. 君主政体, 君主国, 君主政治

参考例句：

• It cleared away a number of monarchies. 它清除了好几个君主政体。
• Nowadays, there are few monarchies left in the world. 现在世界上君主制的国家已经很少了。

12 reverence   

n.敬畏，尊敬，尊严；Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称；v.尊敬，敬畏，崇敬

参考例句：

• He was a bishop who was held in reverence by all.他是一位被大家都尊敬的主教。
• We reverence tradition but will not be fettered by it.我们尊重传统，但不被传统所束缚。

13 pliable   

adj.易受影响的；易弯的；柔顺的，易驾驭的

参考例句：

• Willow twigs are pliable.柳条很软。
• The finely twined baskets are made with young,pliable spruce roots.这些编织精美的篮子是用柔韧的云杉嫩树根编成的。

14 strands   

n.（线、绳、金属线、毛发等的）股( strand的名词复数 )；缕；海洋、湖或河的)岸；（观点、计划、故事等的）部份v.使滞留，使搁浅( strand的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Twist a length of rope from strands of hemp. 用几股麻搓成了一段绳子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She laced strands into a braid. 她把几股线编织成一根穗带。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 exquisite   

adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的

参考例句：

• I was admiring the exquisite workmanship in the mosaic.我当时正在欣赏镶嵌画的精致做工。
• I still remember the exquisite pleasure I experienced in Bali.我依然记得在巴厘岛所经历的那种剧烈的快感。

16 escalating   

v.（使）逐步升级( escalate的现在分词 )；（使）逐步扩大；（使）更高；（使）更大

参考例句：

• The cost of living is escalating. 生活费用在迅速上涨。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The cost of living is escalating in the country. 这个国家的生活费用在上涨。 来自辞典例句

17 lenient   

adj.宽大的，仁慈的

参考例句：

• The judge was lenient with him.法官对他很宽大。
• It's a question of finding the means between too lenient treatment and too severe punishment.问题是要找出处理过宽和处罚过严的折中办法。

18 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

19 majesty   

n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权

参考例句：

• The king had unspeakable majesty.国王有无法形容的威严。
• Your Majesty must make up your mind quickly!尊贵的陛下，您必须赶快做出决定！

20 revered   

v.崇敬，尊崇，敬畏( revere的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• A number of institutions revered and respected in earlier times have become Aunt Sally for the present generation. 一些早年受到尊崇的惯例，现在已经成了这代人嘲弄的对象了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Chinese revered corn as a gift from heaven. 中国人将谷物奉为上天的恩赐。 来自辞典例句

21 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。

22 intercedes   

v.斡旋，调解( intercede的第三人称单数 )；说情

参考例句：

• When Pinkerton finally intercedes, all leave, repeating the curse over and over. 最后平克顿出面干预，客人不欢而散，一路骂声不绝。 来自互联网
• When Kimberly resists, Dan is about to strike her and Rick intercedes. 金伯利拒绝了，丹准备对她动手，里克从中调解。 来自互联网

23 royalty   

n.皇家，皇族

参考例句：

• She claims to be descended from royalty.她声称她是皇室后裔。
• I waited on tables，and even catered to royalty at the Royal Albert Hall.我做过服务生， 甚至在皇家阿伯特大厅侍奉过皇室的人。

24 reign   

n.统治时期，统治，支配，盛行；v.占优势

参考例句：

• The reign of Queen Elizabeth lapped over into the seventeenth century.伊丽莎白王朝延至17世纪。
• The reign of Zhu Yuanzhang lasted about 31 years.朱元璋统治了大约三十一年。

25 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

26 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

27 monk   

n.和尚，僧侣，修道士

参考例句：

• The man was a monk from Emei Mountain.那人是峨眉山下来的和尚。
• Buddhist monk sat with folded palms.和尚合掌打坐。

28 intensifying   

v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的现在分词 )；增辉

参考例句：

• The allies are intensifying their air campaign. 联军部队正加大他们的空战强度。 来自辞典例句
• The rest of the European powers were in a state of intensifying congestion. 其余的欧洲强国则处于越来越拥挤的状态。 来自英汉非文学 - 历史

29 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。