VOA标准英语2010年-Kenyan Government Investigates Possibl

Some estimates say pirates collected more than $100 million in ransoms¹ in last two years alone

Cathy Majtenyi | Nairobi 21 May 2010 
 An upscale house in Nairobi

Real estate prices in Kenya's capital have doubled, even tripled, in the past few years, and the government wants to know why.  Investigators² are looking into possible ties to Somali pirates.

Volatile³, lawless Somalia, where, last year, the International Maritime⁴ Bureau says pirates hijacked⁵ 47 ships and kidnapped 867 crewmembers.

Meanwhile, in neighboring Kenya, property values are soaring.

Mwongela Munyoki is a real estate appraiser⁶ with Munyoki and Associates.

"We are seeing a situation or experiencing a situation where property that was once worth four million shillings is now worth eight, nine, even 10 [million] and they are buying.  So there is that influence of that kind of funds coming into the country," Munyoki noted⁷.

 Government spokesman Alfred Mutua says he sees a connection between what is happening on the Somali high seas and the price increases of property being purchased by those he calls "foreigners."

"They are coming and they are buying the property at any price," said Mutua.  "So, they are coming to a person and asking them, 'How much is this piece of land?' The person says, 'Oh, I am sorry, this piece of land or this building is already sold for $50,000,' and then they say, 'OK, we will give you double and we will pay cash.'"

Piracy⁸ has increased dramatically over the last four years ago. Some estimates say pirates collected more than $100 million in ransoms in the last two years alone.

The London-based think tank Chatham House says money raised from pirate activities is helping⁹ to pay for Somalia's continuing conflict, and supports al-Shabaab, the al-Qaida-linked militia¹⁰ in Somalia.  

That money is also being invested in the real estate market in Kenya, particularly in an area of the city called Eastleigh, which boasts a huge Somali population.  And those knowledgeable¹¹ about property in Eastleigh say some 65 percent of the shopping malls, hotels, condominiums and other buildings that have gone up over the past few years have been built with pirate money.

A source close to the pirates tells VOA that a single, 10-man pirate team can bring up to $3 million to the Nairobi real estate market each year.

The source explains that the money is invested through clan¹² members of the pirates, most of whom are Kenyan citizens.

Government spokesman Mutua says Kenya is taking steps to monitor the real estate market.

"So if we get somebody who is a front, a young Kenyan man who is a front, he will need to tell us that, you own this building, you have been unemployed¹³ or used to work as a driver, where do you get $2 million from if you did not steal it? Did you rob a bank? That way we will catch the real owners of the building and trace the money, and find out where the money is coming from," added Mutua.

But the head of the Eastleigh District Business Association says the pirate connection to Nairobi real estate is exaggerated. Hassan Guleid says the influx¹⁴ of Somalis into Eastleigh started before piracy became a problem.

"There was now a high demand for space and people were now thinking of definitely buying empty land and as the demand went up the prices also shot up," explained Guleid.  "It is very, very true that it skyrocketed, and the pirates I think came at the end of 2007-2008.  By then, most of those buildings were there."

Guleid says he thinks crackdowns on Somalis by the Kenyan government are meant to discriminate¹⁵ against the Somali community and divert attention away from Kenyan government corruption¹⁶ and other controversies¹⁷.

 

1 ransoms   

付赎金救人，赎金( ransom的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The kidnappers exacted ransoms for their hostages. 绑匪勒索人质的赎金。
• Hotel:Wealthy captives sleep at the hotel for an increase in their ransoms. 酒店：富有的俘虏们要住在酒店等待足够的赎金以回家。

2 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 volatile   

adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质

参考例句：

• With the markets being so volatile,investments are at great risk.由于市场那么变化不定，投资冒着很大的风险。
• His character was weak and volatile.他这个人意志薄弱，喜怒无常。

4 maritime   

adj.海的，海事的，航海的，近海的，沿海的

参考例句：

• Many maritime people are fishermen.许多居于海滨的人是渔夫。
• The temperature change in winter is less in maritime areas.冬季沿海的温差较小。

5 hijacked   

劫持( hijack的过去式和过去分词 )； 绑架； 拦路抢劫； 操纵（会议等，以推销自己的意图）

参考例句：

• The plane was hijacked by two armed men on a flight from London to Rome. 飞机在从伦敦飞往罗马途中遭到两名持械男子劫持。
• The plane was hijacked soon after it took off. 那架飞机起飞后不久被劫持了。

6 appraiser   

n.评价者，鉴定者，估价官

参考例句：

• The certification is invalid without the signature of appraiser, checker and approver. 鉴定书无主检、审核、批准签字无效。 来自互联网
• The "quasi-balance" appraiser is the people and the historical development. “准平衡”的评判者是人民大众和历史发展。 来自互联网

7 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

8 piracy   

n.海盗行为，剽窃，著作权侵害

参考例句：

• The government has already adopted effective measures against piracy.政府已采取有效措施惩治盗版行为。
• They made the place a notorious centre of piracy.他们把这地方变成了臭名昭著的海盗中心。

9 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

10 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

11 knowledgeable   

adj.知识渊博的；有见识的

参考例句：

• He's quite knowledgeable about the theatre.他对戏剧很有心得。
• He made some knowledgeable remarks at the meeting.他在会上的发言颇有见地。

12 clan   

n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派

参考例句：

• She ranks as my junior in the clan.她的辈分比我小。
• The Chinese Christians,therefore,practically excommunicate themselves from their own clan.所以，中国的基督徒简直是被逐出了自己的家族了。

13 unemployed   

adj.失业的，没有工作的；未动用的，闲置的

参考例句：

• There are now over four million unemployed workers in this country.这个国家现有四百万失业人员。
• The unemployed hunger for jobs.失业者渴望得到工作。

14 influx   

n.流入，注入

参考例句：

• The country simply cannot absorb this influx of refugees.这个国家实在不能接纳这么多涌入的难民。
• Textile workers favoured protection because they feared an influx of cheap cloth.纺织工人拥护贸易保护措施，因为他们担心涌入廉价纺织品。

15 discriminate   

v.区别，辨别，区分；有区别地对待

参考例句：

• You must learn to discriminate between facts and opinions.你必须学会把事实和看法区分出来。
• They can discriminate hundreds of colours.他们能分辨上百种颜色。

16 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。

17 controversies   

争论

参考例句：

• We offer no comment on these controversies here. 对于这些争议，我们在这里不作任何评论。 来自英汉非文学 - 历史
• The controversies surrounding population growth are unlikely to subside soon. 围绕着人口增长问题的争论看来不会很快平息。 来自辞典例句