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| Words in the News
Monday 03 September 2001
Vocabulary from the news. Listen to and read the report then find explanations of difficult words below.
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Burmese General visits Thailand
Summary: General Khin Nyunt of Burma has arrived in Thailand for a visit which could improve the often difficult relationship between the two countries. This report from Jonathan Head.
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| | The News | |
| | | Clearly, both countries are determined to put their relationship back on track after some angry exchanges of words and gunfire earlier this year. Khin Nyunt is being treated like a head of state, even though officially he's only the third-ranking general in the ruling council. For his part, Khin Nyunt needs Thailand's help, not just to improve his country's image, but also to revive Burma's economy, which he's responsible for managing and which this year has deteriorated to the point of collapse. The Thai government will want to hear convincing evidence from Khin Nyunt that he can curtail the rampant production of drugs in north-eastern Burma, and it will surely want to know how well the dialogue between Khin Nyunt and Aung Sang Suu Kyi is progressing. It's still far from clear just how committed this taciturn general is to doing a deal with the opposition, and if he is, whether he can persuade his more conservative colleagues in the regime to support the process.
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| | The Words
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| | | to put their relationship back on track
to make their relationship better again
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| | | angry exchanges
strong disagreements
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| | | Head of State
official leader of a country
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| | | third-ranking
third most important
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| | | deteriorated
got worse
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| | | point of collapse
may fail soon
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| | | curtail
stop, end
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| | | rampant
growing in an uncontrolled way
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| | | taciturn
quiet and unfriendly
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| | | doing a deal with
making an agreement with
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