土库曼斯坦创新应对大举向国外移民的问题

The economy of Turkmenistan
土库曼斯坦的经济

Turkmenistan finds a novel solution to mass emigration
土库曼斯坦创新应对大举向国外移民的问题

It is simply stopping people from leaving
干脆直接禁止国人离开

CITIZENS of Turkmenistan are definitely allowed to leave the country, its immigration service insisted in a statement in mid-April. The declaration came in response to reports that men under the age of 30 were being prevented from boarding international flights. But in recent weeks reports have begun emerging again of men as old as 40 not being allowed to travel abroad. The authorities are so desperate to stem emigration, it seems, that they are simply stopping their countrymen from getting on planes.
4月份中旬，土库曼斯坦移民局在一份声明中坚称，本国公民绝对拥有出国的权利。此前有报道称，土库曼斯坦现年30岁以下的男子被禁止乘坐国际航班。此份声明是对这些报道作出的回应。但在最近数周，土库曼斯坦40岁以下男子被禁止出国旅行的报道不断涌现。土库曼斯坦当局看似拼命地想要遏制移民，以至于他们干脆直接禁止国人登机。

With the world’s fourth-largest gas reserves and a population of just 5m, Turkmenistan should be prosperous. But its rulers have fallen out with both Iran and Russia, leaving China as their sole customer for gas. Much of the revenue from sales to China goes towards repaying the loans taken out to build the pipeline through which the gas flows. Some of the rest has been squandered on white elephants, such as a vast, empty, falcon-shaped airport and a ritzy but ghostly beach resort on the Caspian Sea. And a good chunk of the money has been stashed away abroad. Data from the Bank for International Settlements show that $23bn from Turkmenistan has accumulated in accounts in Germany, although the data do not reveal who the account-holders are.
土库曼斯坦拥有全世界第四大天然气储量，人口现有总量只有500万，国家本应繁荣。但土库曼斯坦领导人同伊朗和俄罗斯交恶，致使中国是该国唯一的天然气购买方。同中国交易的所得收入大部分又被用于偿还建造这些输气管所借的贷款。其他钱款被浪费在一些累赘无用之物上，比如一座巨大但空荡的鹰形机场和里海上一个奢华但荒废的海滩度假胜地。另外，还有大量金钱被藏匿在国外。据国际结算银行的数据显示，土库曼斯坦在德国储蓄230亿美元，但它未披露这笔钱的持有人信息。

Back home, the economy is in crisis. The government fixes the exchange rate of the local currency, the manat, at 3.5 to the dollar. The black-market rate, however, is closer to 25. To maintain this regime, the government has resorted to strict currency controls, including severe restrictions on international transfers. The amount Turkmen citizens abroad can withdraw from their bank accounts at home via cashpoint machines—the only way to benefit from the official exchange rate—is limited to as little as $12 a day.
土库曼斯坦国内经济已陷入危机。政府当局将本国货币汇率设定为1美元兑换3.5马纳特。但在黑市1美元可兑换大约25马纳特。为维持政权，当局对外汇实施严格管制，包括对国际转账的严格限制。土库曼斯坦海外侨民持卡每天在自动取款机提取金额的上限为12美元，这是从官方汇率中得到实惠的唯一途径。

The shortage of foreign currency prevents firms from importing much, which has sparked inflation. There are long queues for food at state-owned supermarkets, where prices are fixed. Cashiers demand identification to confirm that buyers live in the area. For foreign firms, the hard-currency drought makes collecting payments difficult and repatriating profits almost impossible. Reuters, a news agency, reported in June that Turkish companies operating in Turkmenistan on government contracts have not been paid in years.
外汇短缺阻碍了许多公司的大量进口，这已引发了通货膨胀。公众在国有超市排起了长队购买价格已限定的食品。在买单时，收银员会让顾客出示身份证明，以确认他们居住在该地区。硬通货的匮乏致使外企难以收取款项和将利润调回。6月，路透社报道称，在土库曼斯坦参与政府项目的土耳其公司已被拖欠款项数年。

The government has also resorted to layoffs, even in the all-important gas industry, to make ends meet. Foreign analysts estimate unemployment to be 50-60%, with many Turkmen doing odd jobs, such as driving taxis, to scrape together a livelihood. The underpaid police have found a way to capitalise on this trend, by levying fines on anyone driving a dirty car. No wonder hungry, jobless Turkmen are trying their luck elsewhere—or would be, if the government would let them.
为维持收支平衡，土库曼斯坦当局还采取了裁员的措施，即便是在至关重要的天然气行业。国外分析人士估计，土库曼斯坦失业率在50%～60%，许多人从事如开出租车的零活来勉强维持生计。薪酬过低的警察从这一趋势中找到了获利办法——对开脏车的司机处以罚款。只要政府许可，难怪土库曼斯坦饥肠辘辘的无业者正在或将要尝试在别处碰碰运气。（译：龚嘉诚）

https://www.economist.com/news/asia/21745605-it-simply-stopping-people-leaving-turkmenistan-finds-novel-solution-mass-emigration

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