2007年VOA标准英语-Guinea-Bissau Attempting to Fight Drug Trade

By Naomi Schwarz
Dakar
14 September 2007

Guinea-Bissau's military recently said it would shoot down planes suspected of transporting illegal drugs as it attempts to fight the drug trade that some say could overrun the country. But some in the West African nation say they doubt real measures will be taken because, they say, members of the government are complicit in the illegal trade. Naomi Schwarz has the story from Dakar with additional reporting by Julie Vandal in Guinea-Bissau.

People gather around a speedboat of a type believed to be used by drug traffickers in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau, 17 July 2007

The increase in illegal drug trafficking has experts across West Africa worried. But tiny Guinea-Bissau, a former Portuguese¹ colony sandwiched between French-speaking Guinea and Senegal, is perhaps the most worrisome case, experts and Bissau Guineans say.

A former government minister, who asked not to be named, says if his country cannot find a way out of the situation quickly, it will be completely lost.

Countless² tiny islands are scattered³ along Guinea-Bissau's Atlantic coastline. Many of them are uninhabited. Once they were vacation destinations for overseas travelers. After civil war ravaged⁴ the country in 1998 and 1999, tourism withered⁵ away. Now police say drug traffickers are taking advantage of these remote islands.

An officer for Interpol talked to VOA but asked that his name be withheld⁶.

"Nobody knows [any]thing about what is going on there, or if something is going on or is not going," he said.  "Nobody knows that. That is a perfect place."

In an attempt to stem the traffic, the military recently announced it would shoot down any plane entering Guinean airspace without permission. It said drug traffickers, mainly from Latin America, use small planes to ferry shipments of cocaine⁷ onto the islands. It says the drugs are then flown to Europe.

But Guinean police, charged with the task of enforcing anti-drug laws, do not have vehicles, boats, computers, or even handcuffs.

Several suspected drug dealers⁸ from Colombia have been arrested. On several occasions, they have been allowed to walk free on bail⁹, frustrating¹⁰ efforts to extradite them to Colombia.

Last year, more than 600 kilograms of cocaine were seized by police and held in the public treasury¹¹. Soon after, the stash¹² disappeared. Authorities said it had been destroyed but did not offer evidence.

Incidents like these have led many to speculate that some in Guinea-Bissau's government are, themselves, involved in the drug trade.

The former minister says people are even afraid to think that officials are associated with the drug trade, but that is the only explanation.

The capital, Bissau, has no state-supplied electricity and the per capita GDP is less than $1000 per year. Many houses are decaying, and remain partially¹³ destroyed from the civil war. But in recent years, ministers have built large, modern houses. Some members of the government and military now drive sports utility vehicles that cost upwards¹⁴ of $50,000.

The former minister says he can offer no hard proof, but he says some people from the state and military have become so rich overnight, it could only be from drug money.

Human rights activist¹⁵ Luis Vaz Martin says impunity¹⁶ is a big problem in Guinea-Bissau.

He says everyone suspects which officials might be involved, and he says they must be brought to trial.

Officials have vehemently¹⁷ denied charges of complicity. They say they do not have enough equipment or technology to fight the wealthy and well-equipped drug traffickers.  They say they are doing everything in their power.

Vaz Martin says it has become dangerous to work against the drug trade.

He says many people have been threatened, not only police and judges but also human rights workers, including one of Martin's colleagues.

Vaz Martin says, with the help of the international community, the country can still be saved.

But Bishop¹⁸ Jose Camnaté says he does not see the political will to act.

The international community wants to help the country, and proposes concrete steps. But the Bishop says we in Guinea cannot seem to organize to take advantage of the help.

1 Portuguese   

n.葡萄牙人；葡萄牙语

参考例句：

• They styled their house in the Portuguese manner.他们仿照葡萄牙的风格设计自己的房子。
• Her family is Portuguese in origin.她的家族是葡萄牙血统。

2 countless   

adj.无数的，多得不计其数的

参考例句：

• In the war countless innocent people lost their lives.在这场战争中无数无辜的人丧失了性命。
• I've told you countless times.我已经告诉你无数遍了。

3 scattered   

adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的

参考例句：

• Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来，塞进文件夹里。

4 ravaged   

毁坏( ravage的过去式和过去分词 )； 蹂躏； 劫掠； 抢劫

参考例句：

• a country ravaged by civil war 遭受内战重创的国家
• The whole area was ravaged by forest fires. 森林火灾使整个地区荒废了。

5 withered   

adj. 枯萎的，干瘪的，（人身体的部分器官）因病萎缩的或未发育良好的 动词wither的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• The grass had withered in the warm sun. 这些草在温暖的阳光下枯死了。
• The leaves of this tree have become dry and withered. 这棵树下的叶子干枯了。

6 withheld   

withhold过去式及过去分词

参考例句：

• I withheld payment until they had fulfilled the contract. 他们履行合同后，我才付款。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• There was no school play because the principal withheld his consent. 由于校长没同意，学校里没有举行比赛。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 cocaine   

n.可卡因，古柯碱（用作局部麻醉剂）

参考例句：

• That young man is a cocaine addict.那个年轻人吸食可卡因成瘾。
• Don't have cocaine abusively.不可滥服古柯碱。

8 dealers   

n.商人( dealer的名词复数 )；贩毒者；毒品贩子；发牌者

参考例句：

• There was fast bidding between private collectors and dealers. 私人收藏家和交易商急速竞相喊价。
• The police were corrupt and were operating in collusion with the drug dealers. 警察腐败，与那伙毒品贩子内外勾结。

9 bail   

v.舀（水），保释；n.保证金，保释，保释人

参考例句：

• One of the prisoner's friends offered to bail him out.犯人的一个朋友答应保释他出来。
• She has been granted conditional bail.她被准予有条件保释。

10 frustrating   

adj.产生挫折的，使人沮丧的，令人泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的现在分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's frustrating to have to wait so long. 要等这么长时间，真令人懊恼。
• It was a demeaning and ultimately frustrating experience. 那是一次有失颜面并且令人沮丧至极的经历。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

12 stash   

v.藏或贮存于一秘密处所；n.隐藏处

参考例句：

• Stash away both what you lost and gained,for life continues on.将得失深藏心底吧，为了那未来的生活。
• That's supposed to be in our private stash.这是我的私人珍藏。

13 partially   

adv.部分地，从某些方面讲

参考例句：

• The door was partially concealed by the drapes.门有一部分被门帘遮住了。
• The police managed to restore calm and the curfew was partially lifted.警方设法恢复了平静，宵禁部分解除。

14 upwards   

adv.向上，在更高处...以上

参考例句：

• The trend of prices is still upwards.物价的趋向是仍在上涨。
• The smoke rose straight upwards.烟一直向上升。

15 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。

16 impunity   

n.(惩罚、损失、伤害等的)免除

参考例句：

• You will not escape with impunity.你不可能逃脱惩罚。
• The impunity what compulsory insurance sets does not include escapement.交强险规定的免责范围不包括逃逸。

17 vehemently   

adv. 热烈地

参考例句：

• He argued with his wife so vehemently that he talked himself hoarse. 他和妻子争论得很激烈，以致讲话的声音都嘶哑了。
• Both women vehemently deny the charges against them. 两名妇女都激烈地否认了对她们的指控。

18 bishop   

n.主教，（国际象棋）象

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。
• Two years after his death the bishop was canonised.主教逝世两年后被正式封为圣者。