New Estimate Triples Number of War Deaths in Past 50 Years

New Estimate Triples Number of War Deaths in Past 50 Years
A study of 13 countries found that more than 5 million people were killed, most of them in Vietnam. Also, the latest estimates of the world's refugees. Transcript of radio broadcast:
20 June 2008
This is IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.
A new study finds that wars killed three times more people in the past fifty years than other reports have estimated.


Researchers studied wars in thirteen countries between nineteen fifty-five and two thousand two. They estimate that almost five and a half million people were killed, including almost four million in Vietnam.
Ziad Obermeyer is a doctor at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. He and other researchers designed a new way to estimate deaths from wartime violence. Current methods used during conflicts have been criticized for a risk of underreporting or overreporting deaths.

The new method compares eyewitness and media reports to information gathered from families later, during peacetime. That information comes from United Nations World Health Surveys.

The study in the British Medical Journal does not support a common belief that war deaths are decreasing. Also, it deals only with deaths from violence. Disease can claim more lives during a conflict.

Wars also produce refugees. Friday was World Refugee Day. The United Nations says the number of people fleeing violence and repression has risen to almost eleven and a half million. Half are from Iraq and Afghanistan. The total does not include Palestinian refugees.

Also, U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres says twenty-six million people are displaced within their own countries.

The conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq and the Darfur area of Sudan get a lot of attention. But the high commissioner says other conflicts in Africa have created thousands of new refugees this year.

The U.N. refugee agency says refugee numbers worldwide fell for five years before rising again in the last two years. It says conflicts are largely to blame, but also climate change and poverty tied to rising energy and food prices.

The United States Committee for Refugees and Immigrants says refugees face mistreatment and a lack of assistance in many countries. This group estimates there were more than fourteen million refugees worldwide last year.

More than two million Iraqis have become internally displaced since the Iraq war started in two thousand three. Another two million have fled to Jordan and Syria, including many professionals. Committee President Lavinia Limon says these doctors, lawyers and others cannot work legally in Jordan, Syria or the surrounding countries.

She spoke this week in Washington, joined by several lawmakers. Democratic Senator Ben Cardin of Maryland said the United States has relocated only around five thousand Iraqis since the war began. The State Department says it aims to relocate twelve thousand this year and is working as quickly as possible.

The report also criticizes much of Europe for making it difficult for refugees to gain entry. And it criticizes Kenya and other countries that keep large numbers of refugees in camps.

And that's IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English. I'm Steve Ember.

----------------------------Google Translate

新的估计数目的三倍，战争的死亡人数在过去50年
研究13个国家发现了500多万人被杀害，其中大多数在越南。此外，最新的估计世界各地的难民。全文电台广播：
2008年6月20日
这是在新闻中在美国之音特别英语。
一项新的研究认为，战争死亡的3倍多的人在过去的五十年，比其他报告估计。


研究人员在战争的13个国家之间的1955年和2000 2 。他们估计，近五年和50万人被杀，其中包括几乎4000000在越南。
ziad obermeyer是医生在布莱根妇女医院，马萨诸塞州波士顿。他和其他研究人员设计了一种新方法来估计死亡人数从战时暴力。目前所用的方法在冲突期间一直批评的风险，报告不足或overreporting人死亡。

新方法的比较，目击者和媒体报道，收集的资料，从家庭后，在和平时期。资料来自联合国世界健康调查。

这项研究在英国医学杂志不支持一个共同的信念那场战争的死亡人数正在下降。此外，它仅涉及死亡的暴力行为。该病可以要求更多的生命在冲突期间。

战争也产生难民。周五是世界难民日。联合国说，有多少人逃离的暴力和镇压已上升至接近11和50万。有一半是从伊拉克和阿富汗。总不包括巴勒斯坦难民问题。

此外，联合国难民事务高级专员古特雷斯说， 2600.00万人流离失所者他们自己的国家。

冲突在阿富汗，伊拉克和达尔富尔地区的苏丹获得了很多的注意。但高级专员说，其他非洲的冲突已造成数以千计的新难民今年。

联合国难民机构说，全球难民人数下降，五年前，再次上升，在过去两年中。它说，冲突主要是咎由自取，而且气候变化和贫困联系在一起上升的能源和食品价格。

美国难民委员会和移民说，难民面临虐待和缺乏援助，在许多国家。这个小组估计，有超过一千四百万全世界难民的去年。

两年多万伊拉克人已成为国内流离失所者自伊拉克战争以来，开始在2000 3 。另一2000000已逃往约旦和叙利亚，其中包括不少专业人士。委员会主席lavinia利蒙说，这些医生，律师和其他不能合法工作，在约旦，叙利亚或周边国家。

她以本星期在华盛顿，参加了由几个国会议员。民主党参议员本卡丹马里兰说，美国已迁往只有约5000伊拉克人自从战争开始。美国国务院说，它的目的是搬迁12000今年的工作是尽快。

该报告还批评欧洲大部分地区，为使之难以为难民进入。它批评肯尼亚和其他国家保持大量的难民在难民营中。

这是在新闻中在美国之音特别英语。我史蒂夫ember 。