每日英語跟讀 Ep.914: About Asia - Japanese cartoon ’Hamtaro’ used by Thai protesters to mock government 日本卡通「哈姆太郎」被泰國示威者用來嘲諷政府與日本UFO

Hundreds of Thai protesters sang a Japanese cartoon jingle on Sunday with lyrics mocking the government as hungry hamsters feasting on taxpayer cash, part of a new protest movement by youth.

週日一場由年輕人主辦的新示威活動中，數百名泰國示威者唱著日本卡通歌謠，歌詞被改編為揶揄政府是蠶食稅金的飢餓倉鼠。

Thai youths have been defying a coronavirus ban on gatherings to hold rallies almost daily since last week. The first rally, by a group called the Free Youth Movement, drew more than 2,000 activists, one of the biggest anti-government protests since a coup in 2014.

泰國年輕人違反冠狀病毒聚集禁令，自上週起幾乎每天舉辦集會。第1場集會由名為「自由青年運動」的團體舉辦，吸引逾2000人參加，是自2014年政變以來，最大規模的反政府示威活動之一。

At Sunday’s demonstration, protesters sang new lyrics to the theme song for "Hamtaro". They ran in circles around Bangkok’s Democracy Monument, like hamsters running in a wheel.

在週日的示威中，示威者高唱填了新詞的「哈姆太郎」主題曲。他們繞著曼谷的民主紀念碑跑步，就像是倉鼠在滾輪裡奔跑。

Leaders of the Free Youth Movement have said they will return to the streets for another large-scale demonstration next week if their demands are not met, including dissolving parliament, revising a constitution written by the military and ending the harassment of government critics.

「自由青年運動」的領袖表示，如果他們的訴求沒有被滿足，下週將會以另一場大型示威重返街頭，訴求包括解散國會、修改軍方擬定的憲法，以及停止對批評政府人士的騷擾等。

Balloon-like object in Japanese sky sets Twitter afire with talk of UFOs, Godzilla 日本天空中的氣球狀物體 導致推特的幽浮、哥斯拉話題沸騰

The appearance of a mysterious white object in the sky over northern Japan on Wednesday set social media ablaze, with speculation ranging from UFOs to coronavirus and North Korean propaganda.

週三現蹤於北日本上空的一個神秘白色物體，在社群媒體引爆話題，各種臆測由幽浮到冠狀病毒及北韓宣傳都有。

Television footage taken in the northeastern city of Sendai showed a balloon-like object above a cross, on which propellers seemed to be turning. Officials in the Sendai Weather Bureau said it had appeared near dawn and hung in the sky for hours, largely unmoving, until obscured by clouds.

攝於東北仙台市的電視影像顯示，一個氣球狀物體在一個十字架上方，上頭的螺旋槳似乎正在轉。仙台氣象局官員說，它在接近黎明時出現，並高掛空中數小時之久，大致上沒有移動，直到被雲層掩蓋。

By afternoon it was the third-most trending topic on Japanese Twitter, with theories including UFOs and North Korean balloons used to drop leaflets. One user said it could be spreading novel coronavirus, adding, "This gives me a very bad feeling, as if Godzilla might suddenly appear."

一直到下午，它高居日本推特第三熱門話題，各種推論包括幽浮乃至北韓用來投擲傳單的氣球。一名用戶說，它可能正在散播新型冠狀病毒，並補充道，「這給我一種很糟的感覺，好像哥斯拉可能突然出現。」

A Sendai government official said inquiries were still proceeding, with both the size of the object and its origin, as well as its function, undetermined. No move had been made to retrieve it as of late afternoon.

仙台一名政府官員說，調查仍在進行中，這個物體的尺寸和來源及其功能都還不確定。直到午後稍晚，還沒有任何取回它的行動。

"We have absolutely no idea what it is," said a weather bureau spokesman, declining to give his name. "It may be some kind of weather monitoring equipment, but it definitely isn’t ours."

Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1387130 ; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1390831