Toilet conference to be held in Malaysia
馬來西亞將舉辦廁所會議

A bathroom in Ohio that was voted America's best public restroom in an online survey. 在一項網路票舉活動中，俄亥俄州的一間廁所獲選全美最佳公廁。 (照片：美聯社) PHOTO: AP

Malaysia will try to improve its reputation for having foul public bathrooms with a National Toilet Summit to teach people about the importance of clean bathrooms.

The conference is being organized by Robert Lau, a local government official whose department will hold the conference in Kuala Lumpur from Aug. 24-25. Lau said the conference is important because, ``having clean restrooms in this country is a serious challenge that we have to tackle.''

``If a toilet were a person, he should protest to the Human Rights Commission because he is very unfairly treated,'' Lau said.

Public restrooms in Malaysia have long disgusted residents and tourists because many of them don't have basic things such as toilet paper, soap and sometimes even toilet seats. Many are also vandalized.

Lau said the meeting would bring together local officials and international experts on toilets, including the founder of the World Toilet Organization, Jack Sim.

Lau said that disgusting bathrooms often scare away tourists.

``(We hope) to establish a clean-toilet culture,'' he said. ``The mission is to raise users' etiquette and to motivate a change in the ... attitudes of users and owners.''

Shopping malls and stores that do not have clean toilets may not be able to keep their licenses, he said, adding that the government was also considering fining stores with dirty bathrooms. (AP)

馬來西亞試圖藉由主辦「國家廁所高峰會」來洗刷公廁惡臭的污名，並教導民眾廁所清潔的重要。

負責籌辦這次「國家廁所高峰會」的是當地政府官員羅伯．劉（譯音），他所屬的部會將於八月二十四、二十五日在首都吉隆坡舉辦這場會議。羅伯．劉表示，這會議之所以重要，是因為「在這個國家，擁有乾淨的廁所是我們必須解決的一項艱鉅任務。」

羅伯．劉說：「如果廁所是人，他應該會向人權委員會抗議他所受的極不公平待遇。」

馬來西亞的公廁長期來一直為居民及遊客所詬病，因為許多公廁內連基本的衛生紙、肥皂都沒有，有時甚至連馬桶座也不見了。還有許多公廁遭人為蓄意破壞。

羅伯．劉表示，這項會議將邀集當地官員及包括「世界廁所組織」發起人傑克．西姆在內的國際廁所專家與會。

羅伯．劉指出，令人作嘔的廁所常嚇跑遊客。

他說：「我們希望建立乾淨的廁所文化。這次會議的任務是要提升使用者的禮儀，並激發使用者及物主改變態度。」

他表示，廁所不乾淨的購物中心及商店有可能營業執照不保。他還說，馬國政府也考慮對廁所髒亂的店家開罰。 （美聯社／翻譯：林倩如）

Today's Words 今天單字 1. foul adj. 惡臭的 (e4 chou4 de5)，骯髒的 (ang1 zang1 de5) 例：If you don't take out your trash, your house will smell foul. （如果不把垃圾拿出去，屋子裡會有臭味。） 2. disgust v.t. 使厭惡 (shi3 yan4 wu4)，使作嘔 (shi3 zuo4 ou3) 例：During his trip to that developing country, Craig was disgusted by the living conditions of many of the people. （克雷格去那個開發中國家旅行時，很受不了當地許多民眾的生活環境。） 3. vandalize v.t. 任意破壞 (ren4 yi4 po4 huai4) 例：My car was vandalized, but at least it wasn't stolen. （我的車雖遭人破壞，但還好沒被偷。） 4. etiquette n. 禮節 (li3 jie2)，禮儀 (li3 yi2) 例：When you go to a fancy restaurant, it is important to use proper etiquette. （到高級餐廳用餐時，表現適當的禮儀很重要。）

Reading Comprehension 閱讀測驗 1. Malaysia has a reputation for ... a. good restroom etiquette. b. dirty bathrooms. c. unclean shopping malls and stores. 2. Many bathrooms are not only dirty, but also ... a. have been intentionally damaged. b. too crowded. c. only for tourists. 3. Who does Lau want to help improve the cleanliness of public bathrooms? a. Store owners. b. Bathroom users. c. Both. 4. In the future, stores with dirty bathrooms could be punished with everything EXCEPT ... a. fines. b. losing their licenses. c. being torn down.