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Protesters launch
Ghost Month Want Want boycott
By Rachel Lin and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with Staff writer
Members of a group calling itself the Youth Alliance against the Media Monster
launched a ¡§Say No to Want Want in Ghost Month¡¨ campaign last night, taking
their appeal to various hypermarkets nationwide.
The alliance, protesting against Want Want China Times Group¡¦s intentions to
acquire China Network Systems¡¦ (CNS) cable television services, called on
supporters to boycott snacks and drinks produced by Want Want when purchasing
offerings used to pay respect to the dead during this year¡¦s Ghost Month, which
starts at midnight on Aug. 18 and ends at midnight on Sept. 17.
Traditional Chinese custom says the seventh month of the lunar calendar is a
period during which the spirits of the dead are allowed back into the mortal
world, and it is customary for people to give offerings of food and drink to the
spirits so their time is enjoyable and they are not inclined to disrupt human
life.
The campaign was held last night in Taipei, Miaoli City, Greater Taichung,
Greater Tainan and Hualien City, with college students gathering in
hypermarkets, convenience stores and night markets waving self-made banners with
slogans such as ¡§I¡¦m a student, I¡¦m against Want Want China Times Group¡¨ and
¡§Defy the Media Monster, Defend the Freedom of the Press.¡¨
¡§We hope the loss of sales from the group¡¦s parent company will cause the higher
echelons of the group to realize that the media ¡X if owned by them ¡X should not
be used for their own ends,¡¨ alliance spokesperson Lin Fei-fan (ªL¸¦|) said.
¡§We will continue to call for students and civilians to boycott merchandise from
the Want Want group until it announces that it will give up on its attempts to
acquire CNS¡¦ cable TV service and return to the people a media environment that
respects media professionalism,¡¨ he added.
Prior to the Want Want Group buying the China Times Group in 2009, it was one of
the nation¡¦s largest snack and drink providers.
Acquisition of the CNS¡¦ cable TV services by Want Want is controversial because
since 2009, Want Want already owns a chain of major media operations, including
the China Times, China Times Weekly magazine, Want Daily, CtiTV and China
Television Co.
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