每日英語跟讀 Ep.832: Violence in India Threatens Its Global Ambitions 國內暴亂 影響印度全球地位

Until recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s campaign to portray India as a rising power seemed to be ticking along despite troubles at home.

即便在國內遭遇了些問題，總理莫迪將印度描述成崛起大國的行動，直到不久前似乎還一路升溫。

Much of the world remained quiet, or cautious, in recent months as India began locking up hundreds of opposition politicians and activists without charge across the country. Business executives say they are too afraid to speak out about shortcomings in the government’s economic strategy. The press complains of government intimidation.

近幾個月印度開始未經起訴即在全國各地拘禁數百名反對派政治人物與社運人士，世界上許多國家卻依然保持沉默，或審慎以對。企業執行高層表示，他們因為害怕而不敢說出政府經濟策略的缺失。新聞界也抱怨受到政府恫嚇。

Still, there was President Donald Trump last month, embracing Modi in New Delhi, where streets were dotted with posters declaring the “world’s oldest democracy meets the world’s largest democracy.”

儘管如此，上個月還是有川普總統在新德里擁抱莫迪，當地街上到處可見寫著「世界最老牌民主國家，跟世界上最大民主國家相遇」的海報。

But as the leaders celebrated each other in India’s capital, Hindu mobs began going after Muslim protesters in neighborhoods just a few miles away while the police looked on or joined in.

然而，就在兩位領導人在印度首都彼此恭維之際，印度教暴徒們卻開始在數英里外的社區，追打著穆斯林抗議者，警察則袖手旁觀，甚至加入追打者的行列。

Freedom House, a nonpartisan democracy advocacy organization, flagged India as a major concern.

跨黨派民主倡議組織「自由之家」，將印度列為令人高度關切的國家。

“The Indian government has taken its Hindu nationalist agenda to a new level with a succession of policies,” the group said, “threatening the democratic future of a country long seen as a potential bulwark of freedom in Asia and the world.”

該組織說：「印度通過一系列政策，將其印度教民族主義計畫推到一個新水平，威脅到長期被視為亞洲與世界潛在自由堡壘的國家的民主前途。」

In a rare move, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights filed a petition in India’s Supreme Court to challenge a citizenship law that critics say discriminates against Muslims. Some of India’s closest partners have begun criticizing its treatment of Muslims and migrants, with condemnations coming in from Iran, the United States, Bangladesh and elsewhere.

聯合國人權事務署則罕見地向印度最高法院提出請願，挑戰批評人士認為歧視穆斯林的新公民法。一些印度最親密的夥伴國已開始批評印度對待穆斯林與移民的方式，伊朗、美國、孟加拉及一些其他國家陸續發聲譴責。

“If India loses that secular, democratic identity, then it loses what makes it different than other countries in Asia. We are all watching the riots in Delhi and worry they are going down a dangerous road that makes it harder for us to be a strong advocate for India,” said Rep. Ami Bera, a California Democrat who is the longest-serving Indian American in Congress.

美國加州民主黨籍聯邦眾議員貝拉說：「如果印度失去這種世俗的民主身份，就會失去有別於其他亞洲國家的特色。我們都在觀察德里的暴動，並擔心他們正走上危險的道路，這將使得我們很難成為印度的強力支持者。」貝拉是美國國會中最資深的印度裔議員。

One area where international officials believe that India may be particularly hurting itself is in its campaign to be granted a permanent seat at the U.N. Security Council along with other nuclear powers. Speaking on condition of anonymity, several diplomats, including some from countries that have publicly pushed for an Indian seat on the Security Council, say that their governments are now reluctant to push the issue after India’s domestic unrest has laid bare the effects of Hindu nationalism there.

一些外國官員認為，印度使自身受傷最重的一個方面，就是追求與其他核武國家一樣獲得聯合國安理會常任理事國席次的行動。幾位不願透露姓名的外交官（部分來自公開呼籲給予印度安理會席次的國家）表示，在印度國內騷亂暴露出印度教民族主義對當地的影響後，他們的政府現在不願再推動印度入常案。

Source article: https://paper.udn.com/udnpaper/POH0067/351636/web/