VOA常速英语2007-Thailand Border Bracing for New Burmese Refugees

By Chad Bouchard
Mae Sot, Thailand
03 October 2007

Communities along Thailand's border with Burma are closely watching for signs of a new wave of refugees following violence in Rangoon over the past week. As Chad Bouchard reports from the Thai border town of Mae Sot, fears are rising among refugees and human rights workers.

At the tightly controlled Mae Sot Boundary Post, pedestrians¹ and trucks cross the long bridge connecting Thailand and Burma.

A constant trickle² of pedestrians crosses in both directions. People laden³ with sacks of rice and canvas stretchers full of watermelons and beans march to Burma, while empty bags return.

Inside Burma, this border area is home to the Karen ethnic⁴ group, which has been fighting the country's military dictatorship for decades.

A Karen human rights worker in Thailand who asked that her name not be used says refugees are hopeful for change but worried about their relatives in Burma. She says even young people who were born abroad and have never set foot in their homeland feel a new passion about returning there after seeing the news about protests in Rangoon and other cities.

"They never be in Burma but even they never be, right now they heard about the people in Burma; they are trying to be freedom and then to have democracy so they hope this time maybe we can go back to Burma," said the woman. "Even they are not sure, they are excited to be back to Burma."

While the refugees may be eager to support countrymen across the border, she says Thai police have kept a lid on the local political scene. She says the police have tightened⁵ security, arresting dozens of illegal Karen immigrants over the past week and sending them back to Burma.

Karen Human Rights Group researcher Stephen Hull⁶ says the Karen refugees are unlikely to be discouraged no matter what the outcome.

Hull says Karens have been playing a cat-and-mouse game with Burma's government for decades, defying the military's orders and sometimes sabotaging⁷ its operations.

"Although the scale of open revolt is definitely unique in the past 19 years, the fact that people are resisting is not unique," he said. "People do continue to resist and they will continue to resist. The recent repression⁸ that we've seen won't change people's will to resist."

Hundreds of thousands of Burmese people are refugees in border countries, some exiled for more than 20 years.

The protests in Burma started more than a month ago after the regime raised fuel prices, and intensified⁹ after Buddhist¹⁰ monks¹¹ marched in the streets.

At least 10 people have been killed since a military crackdown began September 26, but human rights groups and diplomats¹² say the toll¹³ is much higher.

1 pedestrians   

n.步行者( pedestrian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Several pedestrians had come to grief on the icy pavement. 几个行人在结冰的人行道上滑倒了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Pedestrians keep to the sidewalk [footpath]! 行人走便道。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

2 trickle   

vi.淌，滴，流出，慢慢移动，逐渐消散

参考例句：

• The stream has thinned down to a mere trickle.这条小河变成细流了。
• The flood of cars has now slowed to a trickle.汹涌的车流现在已经变得稀稀拉拉。

3 laden   

adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的

参考例句：

• He is laden with heavy responsibility.他肩负重任。
• Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat.将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。

4 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。

5 tightened   

收紧( tighten的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）变紧； （使）绷紧； 加紧

参考例句：

• The rope holding the boat suddenly tightened and broke. 系船的绳子突然绷断了。
• His index finger tightened on the trigger but then relaxed again. 他的食指扣住扳机，然后又松开了。

6 hull   

n.船身；(果、实等的)外壳；vt.去(谷物等)壳

参考例句：

• The outer surface of ship's hull is very hard.船体的外表面非常坚硬。
• The boat's hull has been staved in by the tremendous seas.小船壳让巨浪打穿了。

7 sabotaging   

阴谋破坏（某事物）( sabotage的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Mr Smith fiercely denied any question of sabotaging the talks. 史密斯先生坚决拒绝任何企图阻挠谈话的提问。
• Failed in sabotaging APEC summit in Sydney of Australia. 澳大利亚悉尼APEC会议遭遇惨败。

8 repression   

n.镇压，抑制，抑压

参考例句：

• The repression of your true feelings is harmful to your health.压抑你的真实感情有害健康。
• This touched off a new storm against violent repression.这引起了反对暴力镇压的新风暴。

9 intensified   

v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Violence intensified during the night. 在夜间暴力活动加剧了。
• The drought has intensified. 旱情加剧了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 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。

11 monks   

n.修道士，僧侣( monk的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The monks lived a very ascetic life. 僧侣过着很清苦的生活。
• He had been trained rigorously by the monks. 他接受过修道士的严格训练。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 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》

13 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。