Tsunami Economic Impact (translation)

[akdn]

This article was in last week's China Newsweek

http://www.chinanewsweek.com.cn/2005-01-06/1/5011.html

I've had a stab at it - but would appreciate any comments. Thanks.

中国新闻周刊，2005年1月3号出版

海啸的经济冲击

Tsunami Economic Impact

按世界银行初步估计，因这场灾难所需要的救援资金将达50亿美元

According to preliminary world bank estimates, monetary aid required after the tsunami will reach $5bn。

保险公司目前正在努力评估这次地震造成的损失，一些大公司相信最终的赔偿额将超过270亿美元

Insurance companies are currently working hard to assess the losses caused by the earthquake, and a few of the big ones believe that the final compensation may amount to in excess of $27bn.

对于许多受灾的国家来说，旅游业是她们的经济命脉。12月和1月是南亚和东南亚国家的旅游旺季，根据世界旅游协会的数据，东南亚地区有1900万人从事与旅游相关的行业，而位于印度洋中心的岛国马尔代夫，有2/3的人口依赖旅游业。除了旅游之外，这些国家的捕鱼，农业和其他的商业活动也都受到了严重的打击，但损失难以估计。

For many of the disaster-affected countries, tourism is their economic lifeline, and December and January is the tourist peak season in south and southeast Asia. World tourism association figures show that 19m people in southeast Asia have tourism-related jobs, and that in the Maldives, the island country in the center of the Indian Ocean, two thirds of the population rely on tourism. Other than tourism, the fishing, agriculture and other business activities of these countries have suffered a serious blow, but the losses are difficult to calculate.

这场海啸除了导致斯里兰卡上万人死亡，上百万人流离失所以外，还造成大量公路，桥梁和建筑物坍塌，首都科伦坡通往各个工业城市的交通网络已经陷入瘫痪。据悉，修复这些设施至少需要一年时间。

The tsunami, apart from leading to the deaths of more than 10,000 people and over a million to lose their homes in Sri Lanka, also caused the collapse of roads, bridges, and buildings, paralyzing the communications between the capital, Colombo, and the other industrialized cities. It’s said that the repairs of these installations will take at least a year.

斯里兰卡投资委员会前往度，现任新加坡一家信用评估机构分析员的马赫恩德兰认为，这场灾难可能使斯里兰卡经济倒退一年

Former Chairman of the Sri Lanka investment commission and current analyst with a Credit Evaluation Company in Singapore believes this disaster could set Sri Lanka’s economy back by a year.

斯里兰卡的旅游业是该国家近年来增长幅度最大的产业。2003年到斯里兰卡旅游的人数为50多万人，创下历史新高。斯里兰卡政府对旅游业的发展寄予厚望，期待到2010年将入境旅游人数翻一番，但突然发生的天灾对政府推动旅游业的努力无疑是一个沉重的打击。

In recent years tourism has been the industry that has seen the largest growth in Sri Lanka. In 2003 a record 0.5m people came to Sri Lanka. The government placed great hope in the development of the tourist industry, expecting that tourists would double by 2010. But this sudden disaster has without doubt delivered a heavy blow to these government efforts to promote tourism.

在泰国，专家估计海啸带来的经济损失过100亿泰铢 ，旅游业灾害最深

In Thailand experts estimate that the tsunami has caused losses of 10bn Thai Baht, with tourism being the most hard hit.

旅游业是泰国经济重要支柱之一。去年SARS爆发之后，加上泰国南部一些穆斯林地区发生骚乱，泰国旅游业一度下跌了7.4%，至今尚未完全恢复元气。泰国南部6省受灾最为严重。这6省是泰国的旅游胜地，好几个世界闻名海滩都在这一地区。此次海啸中，该地区的旅游设施，酒店，海滩等遭到了严重损毁。

Tourism is the number one mainstay of Thailand’s economy. Last year, after the outbreak of SARS and Muslim disturbances in the south, tourism temporarily decreased by 7.4%. Up to now, normality had yet to resume. The 6 southern provinces in Thailand were most seriously hit by the disaster; these six provinces contained tourist sights and many world famous beaches. The tsunami has destroyed all the tourist facilities, the hotels, the beaches, and so on

专家认为，此次海啸对泰国旅游业的冲击只是暂时的，其所造成负面影响不会比SARS严重。在两三个月后，泰国旅游也将恢复正常

Experts believe that the tsunami will only have a temporary effect on Thailand’s tourism industry, and that the negative effect will not be greater than that of SARS. Tourism will be back to normal after two or three months.

马尔代夫这个由珊瑚礁组成的岛国绝大部分领土海拔不到一米，此次可谓遭灭顶之灾，首都马累的三分之二面积已经被海水淹没，首都的国际机场已经关闭。而其他的约200个岛屿当中，很多岛已经失去通讯联系。

A large proportion of the Maldives, this island country made up of corals and reefs, does not even rise 1metre above sea level. It has been swamped. Two thirds of the capital, Male, has already disappeared under seawater, the capital’s international airport has closed down, and out of the 200 or so islets, many have lost communications.

[liuzhou]

the deaths of more than 10,000 people

I suggest you read http://www.chinese-forums.com/viewtopic.php?p=30556#30556

[akdn]

Yeah, the millions and billions are confusing...

But "上万人" doesn't mean "more than 10,000"???

[trevelyan]

斯里兰卡投资委员会前主席、现任新加坡一家信用评估机构分析员的马赫恩德兰认为，这场灾难可能使斯里兰卡经济倒退一年。

马赫恩德兰, Former Chairman of the Sri Lanka investment commission and current analyst with a Credit Evaluation Company in Singapore believes this disaster might set back the Sri Lankan economy a year.

[akdn]

Thanks for the responses.