VOA标准英语2008年-Thai Prime Minister Survives No-Confidence Moti

The Thai prime minister and his cabinet have defeated an opposition¹ parliamentary no-confidence motion. The government's five-party coalition² closed ranks against opposition accusations³ of economic mismanagement and a heated debate over national sovereignty. As Ron Corben reports from Bangkok, a senior minister also discounted any moves of a cabinet reshuffle after the vote.
　
Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej reacts during the no-confidence vote at the Parliament House in Bangkok, 27 Jun 2008

Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej and his cabinet had faced accusations of economic mismanagement and of disregarding Thailand's national sovereignty.

After three days of feisty debate on the no-confidence motion, the vote highlighted the unity⁴ of the five-party coalition government.

The president of the parliament, Chai Chidchob, announced the final tally⁵.

He says Mr. Samak received 280 votes, and that there were 162 votes in favor of the no-confidence motion.

The opposition has accused Mr. Samak of being unable to manage his government.

The commerce minister came under fire over his handling of the country's rice industry. Rice prices have risen sharply over recent months adding to the pain the middle class and poor are suffering because of high fuel prices.

The opposition also said Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama and the rest of the government acted in haste in an agreement with Cambodia over an ancient temple on the Thai-Cambodian border. The opposition says the government gave territory to Cambodia, which the government denies.

Finance Minister Surapong Subewonglee, one of the ministers facing the no-confidence motion, calls the debate's result satisfactory.

"Yes, because the outcomes of the vote for the prime minister and every minister is almost the same," said Surapong. "This is just a democratic activity in the parliament. This is normal activity that the opposition party have to debate to voice their opinion. But we do not put much stress on this."

Surapong denied media speculation⁶ of a cabinet changes after the vote. News reports said the foreign minister and the commerce minister would likely lose their posts after the debate.

Banharn Silparcha is a leader of the Chart Thai party - a member of the coalition. He says the coalition government remains⁷ strong, and called the debate an opportunity for allegations of corruption⁸ or mismanagement to be raised in public.

"At least some of the wrongdoings can be heard and the opinions of the people inside the parliament can be delivered to the people," said Banharn.
　
Members of People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) scuffle with riot policemen during a protest in front of Government House in Bangkok, 20 Jun 2008

The government has been under intense pressure over recent weeks from protestors who accuse it of interfering⁹ in corruption cases involving former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

The protestors, who have been camped outside the main government administration building for the past week, call for Mr. Samak to resign. But the prime minister, elected last December, appears ready to try completing a four-year term.

The protesters are expected to continue their demonstrations¹⁰. Many accuse Mr. Samak of being too closely allied¹¹ with Mr. Thaksin, who was ousted¹² in a coup¹³ in 2006. Political analysts¹⁴ say Thai society is deeply divided between supporters of Mr. Thaksin, who are mostly the urban and rural poor, and his critics, who are largely middle-class urban residents.

　

 

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 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

3 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

4 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

5 tally   

n.计数器，记分，一致，测量；vt.计算，记录，使一致；vi.计算，记分，一致

参考例句：

• Don't forget to keep a careful tally of what you spend.别忘了仔细记下你的开支账目。
• The facts mentioned in the report tally to every detail.报告中所提到的事实都丝毫不差。

6 speculation   

n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机

参考例句：

• Her mind is occupied with speculation.她的头脑忙于思考。
• There is widespread speculation that he is going to resign.人们普遍推测他要辞职。

7 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。

8 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

9 interfering   

adj. 妨碍的 动词interfere的现在分词

参考例句：

• He's an interfering old busybody! 他老爱管闲事！
• I wish my mother would stop interfering and let me make my own decisions. 我希望我母亲不再干预，让我自己拿主意。

10 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

11 allied   

adj.协约国的；同盟国的

参考例句：

• Britain was allied with the United States many times in history.历史上英国曾多次与美国结盟。
• Allied forces sustained heavy losses in the first few weeks of the campaign.同盟国在最初几周内遭受了巨大的损失。

12 ousted   

驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
• He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。

13 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

14 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。