VOA标准英语2010-Iraqis Continue Hunger Strike at Australi

Iraqi asylum¹ seekers on the remote Australian territory of Christmas Island are continuing a hunger strike Saturday following a similar protest at an immigration detention² facility in Sydney earlier this week. Detainees are angry about delays in the time it is taking for their asylum claims to be dealt with. They are also concerned the Australian government could suspend applications from Iraq following a recent decision to freeze the processing of asylum requests from Sri Lankans and Afghans.

 

Five Iraqi men are refusing to eat in protest at their continued incarceration³ at the Christmas Island detention camp, a remote Australian territory in the Indian Ocean.

The small group is camped out on a sports field within the center with banners reading "No Life Without Freedom."

The Iraqis were intercepted⁴ by the Australian navy and transferred to Christmas Island in early December.

Refugee advocates say Canberra's decision to freeze asylum applications from Sri Lanka and Afghanistan for up to six months has raised concern among other detainees that their countries could be added to the list.

Government officials say they are reassessing Australia's approach to those fleeing Afghanistan and Sri Lanka because of improved security in both nations.

But Ian Rintoul, from the Refugee Action Coalition⁵, says Australia's treatment of asylum seekers has become as uncompromising as the policies pursued by the former conservative Prime Minister John Howard.  His administration locked up women and children in camps across the country.

Rintoul claims that some detainees on Christmas Island are at breaking point. "Many people are waiting, you know, eight months, nine months," he said. "The longest person is 15 months on Christmas Island." 

"It is far too long to be waiting for any kind of decision.  That length of time is creating all the kinds of problems we saw under the Howard government, you know, the anxiety.  The mental health problems are re-emerging on Christmas Island as they did in Woomera and Baxter and Port Hedland," he added. 

The hunger strike on Christmas Island began Friday.  It follows a similar protest by Iraqi inmates⁶ at the Villawood immigration center in Sydney, which ended earlier this week.

Refugee campaigners say tensions on Christmas Island are worsening and the facility is now exceeding capacity.

Almost 270 asylum seekers have arrived at the remote territory in the past three days. Detention centers on the Australian mainland are also nearing full capacity.

Australia's conservative opposition⁷ accuses the government of losing control of the country's borders, a  charge senior ministers reject.

Australia resettles about 13,000 refugees through official humanitarian⁸ schemes each year.

 

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 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。

3 incarceration   

n.监禁，禁闭；钳闭

参考例句：

• He hadn't changed much in his nearly three years of incarceration. 在将近三年的监狱生活中，他变化不大。 来自辞典例句
• Please, please set it free before it bursts from its long incarceration! 请你，请你将这颗心释放出来吧！否则它会因长期的禁闭而爆裂。 来自辞典例句

4 intercepted   

拦截( intercept的过去式和过去分词 )； 截住； 截击； 拦阻

参考例句：

• Reporters intercepted him as he tried to leave the hotel. 他正要离开旅馆，记者们把他拦截住了。
• Reporters intercepted him as he tried to leave by the rear entrance. 他想从后门溜走，记者把他截住了。

5 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。

6 inmates   

n.囚犯( inmate的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• One of the inmates has escaped. 被收容的人中有一个逃跑了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The inmates were moved to an undisclosed location. 监狱里的囚犯被转移到一个秘密处所。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 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。

8 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。