VOA标准英语2008年-Kenya Opposition Call Off Protest Rally

By Alisha Ryu
Nairobi
03 January 2008

Kenya's opposition¹ leaders have called off a mass rally that had been scheduled for Thursday in Nairobi to protest alleged² vote rigging in last week's presidential election.  Before the march was called off police used tear gas and water cannons³ to block protesters from reaching the city center.  As VOA Correspondent Alisha Ryu reports from Nairobi, the cancellation⁴ of the march is not likely to calm tribal⁵ and ethnic⁶ tensions that have fueled the worst unrest the country has seen in decades.

A top official in the opposition Orange Democratic Party (ODP), William Ruto, says the rally was called off because the party and its supporters did not want violence to overshadow the demonstration⁷.

Nairobi's normally-congested downtown was nearly deserted⁸ in anticipation⁹ of expected clashes between protesters and government security forces in nearby Uhuru Park, where the opposition said a million people would gather to express their outrage¹⁰ over the December 27 vote.

The government of President Mwai Kibaki banned the rally earlier this week and vowed¹¹ to crack down on anyone threatening law and order.  Even before dawn on Thursday, hundreds of paramilitary soldiers and baton-wielding riot police began arriving to form a human cordon¹² around the public park.

Smaller groups of riot police were also deployed¹³ near opposition strongholds in the city to prevent supporters of opposition leader Raila Odinga from making their way to the downtown area.  Odinga lost the election to Mr. Kibaki by a narrow margin¹⁴ in the disputed vote.

But the heavy police presence failed to deter¹⁵ thousands of Raila Odinga supporters from trying to attend the anti-government rally.

Protesters poured out of Nairobi's sprawling¹⁶ Kibera slum and other shanty¹⁷ towns, shouting that if the government wanted to stop the week-long post-election violence, which has killed more than 300 people in Kenya and has displaced as many as 100,000 others, President Kibaki must resign.

"No Raila, no peace!  No Raila, no peace!  And we are ready to die, especially the youths," said one protester. "We are ready to die!  Kibaki must go!"

Police immediately responded with force, firing tear gas and water cannons to disperse¹⁸ crowds.  Near Kibera slum, VOA was present when a truckload of about 60 riot police arrived and fired live rounds at a large group that had gathered by the road.   

Running away from the mayhem, Johana Owoth, 25, a member of Mr. Odinga's Luo tribe, accused Mr. Kibaki's government of using force to silence and oppress Kenyans who are not from the president's ethnic Kikukyu tribe, which has long dominated the country's politics and business.

"What violence is going on right now?  We are peacefully demonstrating while they are throwing tear gas and bullets," he said.  "The government is not sensitive to the cries of Kenyans."

Amid international calls for reconciliation¹⁹, South African Nobel peace laureate Desmond Tutu flew to Nairobi and held talks with Raila Odinga.  Details of the meeting are not yet known.

Odinga says he would accept international mediation²⁰.  To stem the political crisis, he also proposes setting up a power-sharing government to prepare for fresh elections.

1 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。

2 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

3 cannons   

n.加农炮，大炮，火炮( cannon的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Cannons bombarded enemy lines. 大炮轰击了敌军阵地。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• One company had been furnished with six cannons. 某连队装备了六门大炮。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 cancellation   

n.删除，取消

参考例句：

• Heavy seas can cause cancellation of ferry services.海上风浪太大，可能须要取消渡轮服务。
• Her cancellation of her trip to Paris upset our plan.她取消了巴黎之行打乱了我们的计划。

5 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

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 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

8 deserted   

adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的

参考例句：

• The deserted village was filled with a deathly silence.这个荒废的村庄死一般的寂静。
• The enemy chieftain was opposed and deserted by his followers.敌人头目众叛亲离。

9 anticipation   

n.预期，预料，期望

参考例句：

• We waited at the station in anticipation of her arrival.我们在车站等着，期待她的到来。
• The animals grew restless as if in anticipation of an earthquake.各种动物都变得焦躁不安，像是感到了地震即将发生。

10 outrage   

n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒

参考例句：

• When he heard the news he reacted with a sense of outrage.他得悉此事时义愤填膺。
• We should never forget the outrage committed by the Japanese invaders.我们永远都不应该忘记日本侵略者犯下的暴行。

11 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

12 cordon   

n.警戒线，哨兵线

参考例句：

• Police officers threw a cordon around his car to protect him.警察在他汽车周围设置了防卫圈以保护他。
• There is a tight security cordon around the area.这一地区周围设有严密的安全警戒圈。

13 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

14 margin   

n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘

参考例句：

• We allowed a margin of 20 minutes in catching the train.我们有20分钟的余地赶火车。
• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。

15 deter   

vt.阻止，使不敢，吓住

参考例句：

• Failure did not deter us from trying it again.失败并没有能阻挡我们再次进行试验。
• Dogs can deter unwelcome intruders.狗能够阻拦不受欢迎的闯入者。

16 sprawling   

adj.蔓生的，不规则地伸展的v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的现在分词 )；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着）

参考例句：

• He was sprawling in an armchair in front of the TV. 他伸开手脚坐在电视机前的一张扶手椅上。
• a modern sprawling town 一座杂乱无序拓展的现代城镇

17 shanty   

n.小屋，棚屋；船工号子

参考例句：

• His childhood was spent in a shanty.他的童年是在一个简陋小屋里度过的。
• I want to quit this shanty.我想离开这烂房子。

18 disperse   

vi.使分散；使消失；vt.分散；驱散

参考例句：

• The cattle were swinging their tails to disperse the flies.那些牛甩动着尾巴驱赶苍蝇。
• The children disperse for the holidays.孩子们放假了。

19 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

20 mediation   

n.调解

参考例句：

• The dispute was settled by mediation of the third country. 这场争端通过第三国的斡旋而得以解决。
• The dispute was settled by mediation. 经调解使争端得以解决。