BBC新聞 – 一位66歲戴眼鏡的中國女人可能不是大多人想象中的象牙走私頭目,但這恰恰是坦桑尼亞調(diào)查人員對楊鳳蘭的指控。
She is accused of leading one of Africa'sbiggestivory smuggling rings, responsible for more than700 elephant tusksworth $2.5m illegally leavingTanzania for the Far East.
她被控領(lǐng)導(dǎo)非洲最大的象牙走私集團(tuán)之一,對價(jià)值250萬美元的700多根象牙非法流出坦桑尼亞運(yùn)往遠(yuǎn)東地區(qū)負(fù)有責(zé)任。
Originally from Beijing, the woman dubbedthe "Ivory Queen" first went to Tanzania in the1970s. She was one ofthe first Chinese students to graduate in Swahili and worked as atranslatorfor Tazara. After the railway was completed in 1975 she returned to Beijing towork inthe government's foreign trade department.
來自北京的這個(gè)被稱為“象牙女王”的女人,于上世紀(jì)70年代第一次去坦桑尼亞。她是斯瓦西里語專業(yè)的首批中國畢業(yè)生之一,在坦贊鐵路任職翻譯。1975年鐵路完工后,她回到北京,在政府的外貿(mào)部門工作。
According to China Daily, It wasn't until1998 that she decided to set up business in Tanzania.In fact, she set up two.She rented a two-storey building in downtown Dar-es-Salaam, opening aChineserestaurant on the ground floor and establishing an investment company, BeijingGreatWall Investment, on the floor above.
根據(jù)《中國日報(bào)》,直到1998年,她才決定在坦桑尼亞設(shè)立企業(yè)。事實(shí)上,她創(chuàng)辦了兩個(gè)企業(yè)。她租下達(dá)累斯薩拉姆市中心的一棟兩層樓,在底層開了一家中國餐館,在樓上開了一家投資公司– 北京長城投資公司。
The restaurant proved to be a success butin 2014 she told China Daily: "Now I do not count onthe restaurant tomake money. Instead, I see it as a place where people from China andTanzaniacan communicate, get to know more friends and conduct informationexchanges."
餐館取得了成功,但2014年她對《中國日報(bào)》說:“現(xiàn)在我不靠餐館掙錢。相反,我把它看成是中國來客和坦桑尼亞人能夠交流,結(jié)識更多朋友和進(jìn)行信息交換的地方。”
By 2012 she was secretary-general of theTanzania China Africa Business Council.
到2012年為止,她是坦桑尼亞中非商會的秘書長。
But at the same time, investigators say, MsYang was a major player in a far darker relationshipdeveloping betweenTanzania and China - the illegal ivory trade. They say she was a keylinkbetween poachers in East Africa and buyers in China for more than a decade.
但調(diào)查人員說,就在同一時(shí)期,楊鳳蘭是坦桑尼亞和中國之間發(fā)展的遠(yuǎn)為黑暗的關(guān)系– 非法象牙貿(mào)易 – 的主要玩家。調(diào)查人員說,她是十多年來東非偷獵者和中國買家之間的關(guān)鍵紐帶。
Tanzania's National and TransnationalSerious Crimes Investigation Unit tracked her for morethan a year. She wasarrested after a high-speed car chase in October 2015 and charged withivorysmuggling between 2000 and 2014.
坦桑尼亞“全國和跨國嚴(yán)重犯罪調(diào)查組”跟蹤了她一年多時(shí)間。她于2015年10月一次高速追車后被捕,被控在2000年至2014年間走私象牙。
Poachers and ivory traffickers arethreatening the very existence of elephants in Central andEast Africa.Tanzania lost more than 60% of its elephants between 2009 and 2014.
偷獵者和象牙販子正在威脅中非和東非的大象生存。坦桑尼亞2009年至2014年間損失了超過60%的大象。
The role of Chinese buyers in this hardlycomes as a surprise - demand for ivory in China is highbecause of its use inornaments and even in holistic medicine.
中國買家在其中的角色可說毫不令人意外– 一象牙因其在裝飾品,甚至在整體醫(yī)療中的用途而在中國有著高需求。
The Elephant Action League says Ms Yang is"connected to various companies abroad, allChinese-owned, and circulatesin the upper echelons of Chinese citizens living and working inTanzania".
“象牙行動聯(lián)盟”組織說,楊鳳蘭“與各種國外公司– 全都是中資企業(yè) – 有關(guān)系, 在生活工作在坦桑尼亞的上層中國公民中周旋。”
Ms Yang denies the charges against her. Iffound guilty she faces up to 30 years in jail.
楊鳳蘭否認(rèn)對她的指控。如果被判有罪,她將面臨長達(dá)30年的監(jiān)獄生涯。