◎魏國金
The Thai government apologized Tuesday to a region where thousands died in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami after a botched warning drill this week caused hundreds to flee their homes, convinced another wave was coming.
泰國政府週二向一個地區的居民致歉，由於本週一個拙劣的警報演習，造成數百人因相信另一波海嘯將屆而逃離家園。這個地區在2004年有數千民眾命喪印度洋大海嘯。
Hundreds of villagers in southwestern Phang Nga province fled to higher ground Monday after warning sirens went off intermittently, 30 minutes after a scheduled drill was completed in Ban Nam Khem, a village devastated by the 2004 tsunami.
西南部的攀牙省數百位村民，週一在一個排定於斑南罕進行的演習完成30分鐘，而警笛仍間歇作響後，逃竄到高地；斑南罕村2004年被海嘯夷為平地。
The false alarms were the latest hiccup in Thailand’s efforts to build a tsunami warning system since the towering waves battered Thailand’s Andaman coast on December 26, 2004, leaving 5,398 people dead and nearly 3,000 missing.
自2004年12月26日滔天巨浪重創泰國安達曼海岸，造成5398人死亡，近3000人失蹤以來，泰國力圖建立海嘯警報系統，而這起錯誤警報是該努力所遭遇的最新挫折。
Locals in six affected Thai provinces have complained of problems in past tsunami warning drills, including sirens that were not loud enough or went off by accident.
6個受影響的泰國省份的居民抱怨過去海嘯警報演習的問題，包括警報不夠大聲或意外作響。
A group of survivors Monday demanded the government sack bosses of a disaster warning center for incompetence.
一個海嘯倖存者團體週一要求政府以無能為由，開革災難警報中心的主管群。
But Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said faulty equipment was to blame and there was no need for anyone to lose their jobs. "I want to apologies to the people. I understand they were angry because the alarm sent everyone running but no one should be replaced, it’s not that serious," he said.
但副總理蘇德表示，該咎責的是瑕疵的設備，任何人無須為此丟了工作。「我要向人民道歉，我了解他們的憤怒，因為警報讓人逃竄，但沒有人應該被撤換，事情沒那麼嚴重，」他說。
新聞辭典
go off︰片語，響起、變質、（水、電等）停止供應。例句︰He used to be quite a good player, but he’s gone off lately.（他曾是相當出色的選手，但最近水準下降了。）
hiccup︰可當動詞與名詞，指打嗝、暫時的下降（或中斷、停頓）。例句︰The elevator hiccupped, then resumed its ascent.（電梯停頓了一下，然後繼續上升。）
be to blame︰片語，該受責備的、應承擔責任的。例句︰The weather was partly to blame for crop failure.（天氣是作物歉收的部分原因。）
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