Summary
19 March 2010
In India, the trial of two local men accused of killing the British teenager Scarlett Keeling has begun. 15-year-old Scarlett's body was found on a beach in Goa in February 2008. Attacks on foreign visitors have affected tourism to Goa.
Reporter:
Rahul Tandon
A beach in Goa
Listen
Click to hear the report:
Report
I'm walking on a beach in North Goa. It's full of foreigners - some are sunbathing, others are swimming in the sea. This is one of India's most popular tourist destinations but the murder of a 15- year-old British girl two years ago and attacks on Russian tourists have damaged Goa's reputation as a safe holiday resort.
The number of foreign visitors has dropped by more than 10 percent. The recession is clearly a factor, but a lawyer hired by the Russian government to deal with attacks on their citizens, has told the 大象传媒 that the state's failure to secure a single conviction for a serious crime against a foreigner is also a reason.
To try and reassure visitors, ex-servicemen will soon be deployed on popular beaches like this. Ralph De Souza is the President of the Goa Travel Association.
Ralph De Souza:
"When the Tourism Protection Organisation comes to town, their
mere physical presence will deter any person with any intentions. They will think twice before attacking or before committing any crime."
Businesses here hope that he's right otherwise beaches like this will see fewer foreign tourists swimming in the sea.
Rahul Tandon, 大象传媒 News, Goa
Vocabulary
Click to hear the vocabulary::
Vocabulary
- sunbathing
sitting or lying in a place where the sun is shining so that the skin gets darker
- damaged Goa's reputation
spoiled or caused harm to the way people think of Goa; they now have a negative view of it
- a safe holiday resort
a specially designed place where many people stay to relax and enjoy themselves and where they are not in any danger
- a factor
a reason, an effect of
- conviction
proven legal case which leads to a guilty person being punished
- ex-servicemen
men who used to be in the military, e.g. the army, navy or air-force
- deployed
sent to and specially placed, ready to take immediate action against any trouble
- their mere physical presence
simply by being able to see them clearly, i.e. they don't have to take any action
- deter
stop, prevent, make unwilling
- think twice
reconsider, think very carefully
