(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
From VOA Learning English, this is the Economics Report.
On May 30th, a court in Cambodia found guilty 23 clothing workers and union members. They were arrested during violent protests in January in which at least 4 workers were killed. However, the court immediately suspended the sentences.
International companies had watched the case closely, some had threatened to reconsider using Cambodian clothing factories. Rights groups have criticized the trial. They say it is an attempt to use the courts to influence workers and the economically important clothing industry.
The 23 were arrested over a 2-day period during wage protests in January. Officials acted with live ammunition. There has been no investigation into the killings of the 4 workers.
The defendants were charged with a number of offenses, including incitement and property damage. Legal experts said the trial did not meet international guide lines. They said the judge barred defendants from speaking or questioning witnesses.
The courts sentence the defendants to one to four-and-a-half years, however, it then ruled to suspend the sentences to time already served. That meant the defendants would be freed.
Dave Welsh is the country representative for the U.S.-based labor group Solidarity Center. He says the defendants and their families were pleased with the decision.
"The main thing is there's just an enormous amount of relief - first of all with them, with their families, and with the trade union and human rights community in general - that they're going to be freed today," Welsh said.
The clothing or garment manufacturing industry is an important part of Cambodia's economy, providing about $5.5 billion in exports last year. Factories produce clothing mainly for the European Union and the United States.
However, unrest about pay has resulted in deadly protests. The monthly minimum wage currently stands at $100, the garment workers want that raised to $160. There is also a disputed law related to trade unions that the government wants to pass by the end of the year.
A delegation of international clothing companies recently spoke to top government officials. Representatives from H&M, Puma and The Gap said they would find other sources for their products unless worker conditions improved. The garment industry in Cambodia employs about 600,000 workers.
The brands offered to pay more to factories that employ workers. But they say the Cambodian government must also act by not using violence or the courts against protesters.
And that's the Economics Report in VOA Learning English. I'm Mario Ritter.
文本来自51voa，译文属可可原创，仅供学习交流使用，未经许可请勿转载
词汇解释
1.suspend vt. 延缓，推迟；使暂停；使悬浮 vi. 悬浮；禁赛
The union suspended strike action this week.
工会本周暂停了罢工行动。
2.incitement n. 煽动，刺激；激励物
Insults can lead to the incitement of violence.
侮辱会导致对暴力的煽动。
3.garment n. 衣服，服装；外表，外观 vt. 给…穿衣服
Many of the garments have the customers' name tags sewn into the linings.
这些衣服中很多都把顾客的姓名牌缝进衬里中。
内容解析
1.They said the judge barred defendants from speaking or questioning witnesses.
bar from 不准
She was barred from the competition.
她未获准参加比赛。
The public are barred from access to the city library on the weekends.
市图书馆周末不开放。
参考译文
这里是美国之音慢速英语经济报道。
5月30日，柬埔寨一家法院判定23名服装工人和工会成员有罪，他们是在1月份的暴力抗议中被捕的，至少4名工人在暴力事件中丧生。然而，法院立即暂停了判决。
国际公司都在密切关注这起案件，有的威胁要重新考虑是否使用柬埔寨的服装工厂。权利组织批评该审判，他们说这是在利用法院来影响工人和具有经济意义的服装厂。
这23人时在1月份为期两天的薪酬抗议中被捕的，官方对实弹对付抗议者，目前尚未对4名工人的死亡进行调查。
被告人员被控多起罪行，包括煽动和损坏财产。法律专家称审判并未按照国际指导原则进行，称法官不让被告讲话，也不让质问目击者。
法庭判决被告一到四年半的监禁，然而，法院随即判决终止刑期至已服刑时间，这意味着释放被告。
戴夫·威尔士是总部位于美国的劳工组织团结中心驻柬埔寨代表，他说被告及其家属对这一判决很开心。
“重要的是大家都松了一口气，他们本人、家人、工会和人权组织都松了口气，他们今天就获释。”
服装织造业是柬埔寨经济的重要组成部分，去年出口量达55亿美元，工厂主要为欧盟和美国制造服装。
然而，有关薪酬的动乱导致了暴力抗议，目前每月最低薪水是100美元，服装工人希望提高到160美元，政府还希望在年底通过一项涉及工会的有争议法律。
国际服装公司代表团最近与柬埔寨政府官员进行交流，H＆M，彪马和Gap公司的代表称除非工人条件得到改善，否则要为服装寻找其他制造来源。柬埔寨的服装业雇佣大约60万工人。
这些品牌提出为雇佣工人的工厂支付更多，但他们称柬埔寨政府必须不再使用暴力或法院来对付抗议者。
这就是美国之音慢速英语经济报道，我是马里奥·利特。
