VOA标准英语2009年-Greece Tears Down Camp for Asylum Seekers

The United Nations refugee agency says it is concerned about the fate of hundreds of irregular migrants, including asylum¹ seekers and refugees, following the closure of a makeshift camp in the Greek city of Patras. The UNHCR says it fears many of the former inhabitants now are homeless.
　
A bulldozer operates at a camp in the western Greek port city of Patras, 12 Jul 2009

Greek authorities swept in to clear the makeshift camp early Sunday morning. The UN refugee agency says 44 unaccompanied minors² were found during the operation. They were transferred to a special reception center in Konitsa, northern Greece.

The UNHCR says 20 to 25 registered asylum seekers were moved to accommodations in Patras, while an unknown number of undocumented camp residents were arrested and taken to Patras police station.

UNHCR spokesman, Ron Redmond, says a fire ripped through the camp after all the residents were moved. He says the source of the fire is unknown.

"UNHCR has long maintained that the makeshift camp at Patras did not provide appropriate accommodation for the people sheltering there," he said. "However, UNHCR is concerned that no alternative has been provided for many of the people who had been living at the site. We understand that many former residents-including registered asylum seekers-abandoned the site before the clearance³ operation. Their whereabouts are unknown. It is feared that many are homeless."

The UNHCR has frequently criticized the quality of Greece's reception facilities for asylum seekers. For example, it says the lack of interpretation⁴ and legal aid services at the Patras police station limit the processing of asylum claims.

Redmond says the majority of asylum seekers in Greece are young Afghan males. Indeed, he says a significant number of the asylum seekers recently identified are minors.

"The recognition rates in Greece are just an indication of the discrepancies⁵ between countries within the European Union where we want to see a common asylum space develop, he said. "The recognition rates in Greece for certain groups are extremely low. A very small percentage of asylum applications are actually recognized as refugees."

Last year, the UNHCR reports nearly 20,000 people applied⁶ for asylum in Greece. Of these, just 379 were recognized as refugees, as people in need of international protection.

1 asylum   

n.避难所，庇护所，避难

参考例句：

• The people ask for political asylum.人们请求政治避难。
• Having sought asylum in the West for many years,they were eventually granted it.他们最终获得了在西方寻求多年的避难权。

2 minors   

n.未成年人( minor的名词复数 )；副修科目；小公司；[逻辑学]小前提v.[主美国英语]副修，选修，兼修( minor的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The law forbids shops to sell alcohol to minors. 法律禁止商店向未成年者出售含酒精的饮料。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He had three minors this semester. 这学期他有三门副修科目。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 clearance   

n.净空；许可(证)；清算；清除，清理

参考例句：

• There was a clearance of only ten centimetres between the two walls.两堵墙之间只有十厘米的空隙。
• The ship sailed as soon as it got clearance. 那艘船一办好离港手续立刻启航了。

4 interpretation   

n.解释，说明，描述；艺术处理

参考例句：

• His statement admits of one interpretation only.他的话只有一种解释。
• Analysis and interpretation is a very personal thing.分析与说明是个很主观的事情。

5 discrepancies   

n.差异，不符合（之处），不一致（之处）( discrepancy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• wide discrepancies in prices quoted for the work 这项工作的报价出入很大
• When both versions of the story were collated,major discrepancies were found. 在将这个故事的两个版本对照后，找出了主要的不符之处。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。