双语时事：江苏启东叫停纸厂废水排海工程

2012-07-31 00:00:00来源：可可英语

　　Chinese protesters scored another environmental victory at the weekend when an eastern city abandoned plans for an industrial waste-water pipeline in response to massive opposition, writes Kathrin Hille in Beijing.
　　中国抗议者周末取得又一个环保胜利。面对群众的大力反对，华东一个城市放弃了建设一条工业废水管道的计划。
　　The government of Nantong, a city near Shanghai, said it was scrapping construction of a plant that would have discharged water from a paper factory in Qidong – a city on the mouth of the Yangtze river under Nantong"s jurisdiction.
　　江苏省南通市政府表示，将放弃建设一个设施，按照原计划，该设施将用于排放来自启东市一家造纸厂的废水。启东市位于长江口，隶属于南通市。
　　The decision came after thousands of Qidong residents took to the streets and occupied local government offices, voicing concerns that the planned facility, owned by a subsidiary of Oji Paper, a Japanese group, would pollute drinking water.
　　在此之前，数以千计的启东市民走上街头，甚至占据当地政府部门的办公室，这些市民表示，他们担忧这一拟建设施将污染饮用水。该设施由日资集团王子制纸(Oji Paper)的一家子公司拥有。
　　They also feared damage to fishing in the nearby bay.
　　他们还担心附近港湾的捕鱼业遭殃。
　　It is the third time in less than a year that Chinese authorities have bowed to protests over environmental issues.
　　这是不到一年来中国官方在环境问题上第三次屈服于抗议诉求。
　　Earlier this month, plans to build a copper refinery in the town of Shifang, in the south-western province of Sichuan, were scrapped after demonstrations against potential air and water pollution.
　　本月早些时候，中国西南部的四川省什邡市放弃了建设一家铜冶炼厂的计划，此前当地居民举行示威，抗议新工厂可能造成的空气和水污染问题。
　　Last year, 12,000 residents in the north-eastern city of Dalian managed to stop plans for a coastal petrochemical plant due to pollution concerns.
　　去年，东北城市大连的1.2万居民出于对污染的担忧，成功阻止了一家滨海石化厂的建设计划。
　　The decisions reflect the ruling Communist party's pragmatic stance in dealing with public opinion. While rural residents often fail to persuade officials to address grievances over issues such as land grabs or environmental degradation, Beijing is increasingly paying attention to the demands of the better-educated and more media-savvy urban middle class.
　　这些决定反映出执政的共产党在处理公众舆论方面的务实立场。尽管农村居民往往无法说服官员们处理有关强占土地或环境退化等问题的抱怨，但北京方面日益重视教育程度较高、更擅长利用媒体的城市中产阶层的诉求。
　　Like many similar protests, the Qidong demonstration turned violent. Protesters could be seen in pictures posted on social media overturning a car, beating a policeman and stripping the local party secretary to the waist before chasing him through the streets.
　　就像许多类似的抗议一样，启东市的示威一度也出现暴力行为。从社交媒体贴出的照片看，抗议者推倒一辆汽车，殴打一名警察，还扒下当地党委书记的上衣，然后沿街追他。
　　Reuters news agency reported from Qidong that about 1,000 people marched on Saturday. Other observers on Sina Weibo, China's leading internet microblogging site, put the number of protesters as high as 100,000.
　　根据路透社(Reuters)发自启东市的报道，上周六大约1000人举行了游行。其他观察人士在中国领先的微博网站新浪微博(Sina Weibo)上表示，抗议人数多达10万。
　　A shop owner in Qidong said in a phone interview that thousands of riot police had been brought in to quell the unrest.
　　启东市一名店主在电话采访中表示，官方调来数以千计的防暴警察以平息这一群体事件。
　　"There are military lorries patrolling the streets," said the man, who asked not to be identified. "
　　军用卡车正在街上巡逻，"这位要求匿名的男士表示。