VOA标准英语2013--Somali Piracy Diminishes, but Networks Remain a Threat
时间:2019-01-14 作者:英语课 分类:VOA标准英语2013年(五月)
Somali Piracy 1 Diminishes, but Networks Remain a Threat
In the last decade, shipping 2 off the coast of Somalia was subjected to relentless 3 pirate attacks, the numbers peaking in 2011 with 176 reported cases. Now, though, international naval 4 patrols and armed guards on ships are keeping the pirates at bay. But this cannot last for long, said Pottengal Mukundan, director of the International Maritime 5 Bureau.
“The root cause of piracy is not at sea, it is on shore in Somalia," he said. "So long as Somalia has got parts of the country which are ungoverned without law enforcement or judicial 6 systems, piracy is going to continue.
The pirates operate largely in the open along Somalia’s central coast, making it a high-profit, low-risk enterprise for the kingpins. They have pulled in hundreds of millions of dollars in ransom 7 paid by shipping companies to free their vessels 8 and crews.
Despite the current security measures, Mukundan said he is not aware of a single criminal piracy network that has been dismantled 9, providing crime bosses with even more incentive 10 to keep operating.
Authorities are navigating 11 a maze 12 of often-conflicting national and international laws that prevent them from getting to the top players, said Donna Hopkins from the International Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia.
“We’re working very hard to identify those people and indict 13 them for crimes of which they are clearly guilty and see that they are charged. I am not going to tell you who they are but we have a very clear idea who they are. For the last four years the international community has worked very hard to identify who so we could get at the real guts 14 of this organization," Hopkins said.
The contact group has dozens of members, including governments, industry groups, the United Nations and the African Union. The group has found that the piracy network straddles continents and that some top government officials have been involved, Hopkins said.
“There are certainly high-level officials inside Somalia and elsewhere who have been complicit in this crime and the money laundering 15 that’s attendant to pushing the ransom money out to other enterprises," she said.
With no central banking 16 system in Somalia, authorities have had a difficult time following a money trail.
But the International Maritime Bureau's Mukundan sees positive signs. The new government in Mogadishu -- the first one in more than 20 years widely viewed as legitimate 17 -- has vowed 18 to put judicial and law enforcement systems in place.
“At the moment the signs are very encouraging," he said. "They have a long way to go.”
The IMB says that in the first quarter of 2013, there were only five reported piracy incidents off the Somali coast. But still, Mukundan warns, international naval might and shipping companies' anti-piracy efforts are just barely holding the line.
- 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。
- We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
- There's a shipping charge of £5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。
- The traffic noise is relentless.交通车辆的噪音一刻也不停止。
- Their training has to be relentless.他们的训练必须是无情的。
- He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
- The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。
- 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。
- He is a man with a judicial mind.他是个公正的人。
- Tom takes judicial proceedings against his father.汤姆对他的父亲正式提出诉讼。
- We'd better arrange the ransom right away.我们最好马上把索取赎金的事安排好。
- The kidnappers exacted a ransom of 10000 from the family.绑架者向这家人家勒索10000英镑的赎金。
- The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
- The plant was dismantled of all its equipment and furniture. 这家工厂的设备和家具全被拆除了。
- The Japanese empire was quickly dismantled. 日本帝国很快被打垮了。
- Money is still a major incentive in most occupations.在许多职业中,钱仍是主要的鼓励因素。
- He hasn't much incentive to work hard.他没有努力工作的动机。
- These can also be very useful when navigating time-based documents, such as video and audio. 它对于和时间有关的文档非常有用,比如视频和音频文档。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
- Vehicles slowed to a crawl on city roads, navigating slushy snow. 汽车在市区路上行驶缓慢,穿越泥泞的雪地。 来自互联网
- He found his way through the complex maze of corridors.他穿过了迷宮一样的走廊。
- She was lost in the maze for several hours.一连几小时,她的头脑处于一片糊涂状态。
- You can't indict whole people for the crudeness of a few.您不能因少数人的粗暴行为就控诉整个民族。
- I can indict you for abducting high school student.我可以告你诱拐中学生。
- I'll only cook fish if the guts have been removed. 鱼若已收拾干净,我只需烧一下即可。
- Barbara hasn't got the guts to leave her mother. 巴巴拉没有勇气离开她妈妈。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- Separate the white clothes from the dark clothes before laundering. 洗衣前应当把浅色衣服和深色衣服分开。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- He was charged with laundering money. 他被指控洗钱。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
- He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。
- Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
- That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。