2007年VOA标准英语-Japan's Aid to Burma Criticized Amid Global Cal

By Catherine Makino
Tokyo
26 May 2007

While world leaders and human rights groups criticize Burma for extending the house arrest of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, special attention is being paid to the position of Japan, which is one of the world's largest donors¹ of aid to Burma. Catherine Makino reports from Tokyo.

While the European Union and the United States have imposed sanctions on Burma, and the United Nations has condemned² it for its refusal to enact³ democratic reforms, Japan remains⁴ one of Burma's largest aid donors.

According to Japan's Ministry⁵ of Foreign Affairs, the country gave Burma $27 million in aid in 2005, making it one of the country's largest aid donors.

Burma's military rulers have been under renewed international pressure in recent weeks to release the country's pro-democracy leader, Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, from house arrest. She has been detained for 11 of the past 17 years.

Maung Min Nya, the head of the Burma Office, an activist⁶ group based in Japan, says Japanese aid is not benefiting the Burmese people.

"The humanitarian⁷ aids given by Japanese government, it doesn't reach to the people, just only, you know, it reached to the military only," he said.

He says Japanese companies should stop doing business with Burma, because it only helps the military leaders.

Kit8 Siang (l) from Malaysia, and Buranaj Smutharaks, from Thailand, both members of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus9 steering10 committee (AIPMC) confer prior to the start of International Conference in Tokyo, 21 may 2007" hspace="2" src="/upimg/allimg/070607/1030140.jpg" width="210" vspace="2" border="0" />

Lim Kit Siang (l) from Malaysia, and Buranaj Smutharaks, from Thailand, both members of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus steering committee (AIPMC) confer prior to the start of International Conference in Tokyo, 21 may 2007

At a recent international conference in Tokyo on Burma, lawmakers from six Southeast Asian countries, rights activists¹¹ and Burmese exiles called for political reforms in the country.

 

Japan says it has chosen aid over sanctions as a way to push for democracy in Burma, and says it will continue funding humanitarian projects because of worsening living conditions there. The Japanese government says it is concerned about the political situation however, and has called for the release of political prisoners, including Aung San Suu Kyi.

 

Last week, 59 former heads of state and government issued an open letter to the Burmese military junta¹² calling for Aung San Suu Kyi's immediate¹³ release. The signatories included several former U.S. presidents, two former British prime ministers, and former leaders of many Asian countries. One of those who signed was former Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.

1 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

3 enact   

vt.制定(法律)；上演，扮演

参考例句：

• The U.S. Congress has exclusive authority to enact federal legislation.美国国会是唯一有权颁布联邦法律的。
• For example,a country can enact laws and economic policies to attract foreign investment fairly quickly.例如一个国家可以很快颁布吸引外资的法令和经济政策。

4 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

5 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

6 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

7 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

8 kit   

n.用具包，成套工具；随身携带物

参考例句：

• The kit consisted of about twenty cosmetic items.整套工具包括大约20种化妆用品。
• The captain wants to inspect your kit.船长想检查你的行装。

9 caucus   

n.秘密会议；干部会议；v.（参加）干部开会议

参考例句：

• This multi-staged caucus takes several months.这个多级会议常常历时好几个月。
• It kept the Democratic caucus from fragmenting.它也使得民主党的核心小组避免了土崩瓦解的危险。

10 steering   

n.操舵装置

参考例句：

• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration. 他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。
• Steering according to the wind, he also framed his words more amicably. 他真会看风使舵，口吻也马上变得温和了。

11 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》

12 junta   

n.团体；政务审议会

参考例句：

• The junta reacted violently to the perceived threat to its authority.军政府感到自身权力受威胁而进行了激烈反击。
• A military junta took control of the country.一个军政权控制了国家。

13 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。