VOA常速英语2008年-Australia to Increase Troop Numbers in East Tim

By Phil Mercer
Darwin
12 February 2008

Australia is sending additional police officers and soldiers to East Timor following an assassination¹ attempt on the country's president and prime minister. President Jose Ramos Horta has been flown to Darwin in northern Australia for treatment. Doctors say he is in serious condition after surgery. From Darwin, Phil Mercer reports.

 

Australia is sending 150 extra soldiers and police officers to its troubled neighbor to try to smother² unrest after the shooting of the president.

 

The arrival of the Australian navy vessel³ HMAS Perth in the East Timorese capital, Dili, is a further indication of Australia's intent.

 

East Timor has declared a two-day state of emergency. Under the decree, police have additional powers, public gatherings⁴ are banned and a nighttime curfew is in place.

Australian foreign minister Stephen Smith held a news conference in Darwin with his East Timorese counterpart. Smith said he was 'deeply disturbed' by the attempted assassination and has called for the United Nations mandate⁵ in East Timor to be extended.

 

"I have indicated personally to the foreign minister on behalf of the Australian government the commitment that we announced yesterday, the contribution of additional troops and the contribution of additional police officers to ensure peace and stability and security in East Timor," said Smith. "The Australian government regards this as essential, just as we do the ongoing⁶ presence of the United Nations and a renewal⁷ of the United Nations mandate to see a continuing presence of the United Nations in East Timor."

 

East Timor's foreign minister, Zacarias de Costa, said the situation in Dili is calm, but he stressed that his country is in an extremely fragile position.

 

De Costa said he is confident that those responsible for the attack on President Ramos Horta will be caught.

 

The president has had two hours of surgery at the Royal Darwin Hospital to repair damage to a lung and to remove bullet fragments and shrapnel from his chest.

 

He is expected to undergo more operations this week. His doctors say he is very lucky to be alive and described his condition as serious. They are, though, optimistic that he will eventually make a good recovery.

 

The assassination attempt is a massive blow to East Timor. Six years after independence from Indonesia, it remains⁸ one of the world's poorest nations.

 

The East Timorese voted to secede⁹ from Indonesian control in a referendum in 1999 - a vote that will be remembered for the brutality¹⁰ of militiamen who tried to disrupt the process.

 

There was further unrest in 2006, which prompted the intervention¹¹ of peacekeepers from Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and Portugal.

 

Tens of thousands of people fled their homes during the fighting and many are still too afraid to return.

 

The road from independence has been a painful one for East Timor and analysts¹² predict that foreign peacekeepers are likely to stay in the troubled country for years to come.

1 assassination   

n.暗杀；暗杀事件

参考例句：

• The assassination of the president brought matters to a head.总统遭暗杀使事态到了严重关头。
• Lincoln's assassination in 1865 shocked the whole nation.1865年，林肯遇刺事件震惊全美国。

2 smother   

vt./vi.使窒息；抑制；闷死；n.浓烟；窒息

参考例句：

• They tried to smother the flames with a damp blanket.他们试图用一条湿毯子去灭火。
• We tried to smother our laughter.我们强忍住笑。

3 vessel   

n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管

参考例句：

• The vessel is fully loaded with cargo for Shanghai.这艘船满载货物驶往上海。
• You should put the water into a vessel.你应该把水装入容器中。

4 gatherings   

聚集( gathering的名词复数 )； 收集； 采集； 搜集

参考例句：

• His conduct at social gatherings created a lot of comment. 他在社交聚会上的表现引起许多闲话。
• During one of these gatherings a pupil caught stealing. 有一次，其中一名弟子偷窃被抓住。

5 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。

6 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

7 renewal   

adj.(契约)延期，续订，更新，复活，重来

参考例句：

• Her contract is coming up for renewal in the autumn.她的合同秋天就应该续签了。
• Easter eggs symbolize the renewal of life.复活蛋象征新生。

8 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。

9 secede   

v.退出，脱离

参考例句：

• They plotted to make the whole Mississippi Valley secede from the United States.他们阴谋策划使整个密西西比流域脱离美国。
• We won't allow Tibet to secede from China and become an independent nation.我们决不允许西藏脱离中国独立。

10 brutality   

n.野蛮的行为，残忍，野蛮

参考例句：

• The brutality of the crime has appalled the public. 罪行之残暴使公众大为震惊。
• a general who was infamous for his brutality 因残忍而恶名昭彰的将军

11 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。

12 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。