2006年VOA标准英语-Indonesia Courts Sentence Two Australian D

By Tim Johnston
Jakarta
14 February 2006

 
Andrew Chan  
  
Two Australian drug traffickers have been sentenced to death by judges in Indonesia for their leading roles in a plot to smuggle¹ more than eight kilograms of heroin² from the island of Bali. The sentences came despite a request from the Australian foreign minister to avoid the death penalty.

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Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran showed little emotion when they learned that they could face a firing squad³.

But as Judge Arif Supratman told Chan of his death sentence, a group of anti-drug activists⁴ in the courtroom cheered and shouted "death."

Chan organized a plot to smuggle heroin out of the country and Sukumaran was the gang's enforcer. After weeks of stonewalling, Chan pleaded for mercy in his final statement to the court last month, saying he had found God since he had been imprisoned⁵ last April. Sukumaran has neither asked for mercy nor expressed regret.

Indonesia is in the middle of a high-profile campaign against illegal drugs, and unleashing⁶ the full weight of the law on those found guilty is meant to send a message to other potential smugglers.

Four other members of so-called "Bali nine" - eight men and a woman - have so far been given life sentences for their roles in the plan. Three others are due to be sentenced Wednesday.

The trials have been watched closely in Australia, where there is strong opposition⁷ to the death penalty. Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer wrote to Indonesia's attorney general saying he would not like to see any of the group sentenced to death. He said his government would appeal for clemency⁸.

Australian Prime Minister John Howard said Tuesday that felt very sorry for the parents of the convicted men. But he urged Australians to learn the serious consequences of drug smuggling⁹ and realize that their government could not change the laws of another country.

If they choose, Chan and Sukumaran have at least three levels of appeals before they are in danger of facing a firing squad. However, Indonesia has shown that it is willing to impose harsh sanctions on drug smugglers: two Thais and an Indian, all whom were convicted of carrying heroin, have been executed in the past two years.

1 smuggle   

vt.私运；vi.走私

参考例句：

• Friends managed to smuggle him secretly out of the country.朋友们想方设法将他秘密送出国了。
• She has managed to smuggle out the antiques without getting caught.她成功将古董走私出境，没有被逮捕。

2 heroin   

n.海洛因

参考例句：

• Customs have made their biggest ever seizure of heroin.海关查获了有史以来最大的一批海洛因。
• Heroin has been smuggled out by sea.海洛因已从海上偷运出境。

3 squad   

n.班，小队，小团体；vt.把…编成班或小组

参考例句：

• The squad leader ordered the men to mark time.班长命令战士们原地踏步。
• A squad is the smallest unit in an army.班是军队的最小构成单位。

4 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 imprisoned   

下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was imprisoned for two concurrent terms of 30 months and 18 months. 他被判处30个月和18个月的监禁，合并执行。
• They were imprisoned for possession of drugs. 他们因拥有毒品而被监禁。

6 unleashing   

v.把（感情、力量等）释放出来，发泄( unleash的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Company logos: making people's life better by unleashing Cummins power. 公司理念：以康明斯动力建设更美好的生活！ 来自互联网
• Sooner or later the dam will burst, unleashing catastrophic destruction. 否则堤坝将崩溃，酿成灾难。 来自互联网

7 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。

8 clemency   

n.温和，仁慈，宽厚

参考例句：

• The question of clemency would rest with the King.宽大处理问题，将由国王决定。
• They addressed to the governor a plea for clemency.他们向州长提交了宽刑的申辨书。

9 smuggling   

n.走私

参考例句：

• Some claimed that the docker's union fronted for the smuggling ring.某些人声称码头工人工会是走私集团的掩护所。
• The evidence pointed to the existence of an international smuggling network.证据表明很可能有一个国际走私网络存在。