【新唐人2013年1月15日訊】當我們還有聲音時，我們將它吶喊。將它吶喊，因為那是我們活著的證明。將它吶喊，因為那是我們的權利。沒有任何人能具有將我們聲音剝奪之權力，如有，那麼不管這名對像為何，請容許我們稱呼他一聲劊子手。因為他扼殺—他扼殺了人權、民主，以及自由。

而今，我們無聲。我們無聲，不是因為拒絕展現聲音的權利，而是因為新聞自由即將死亡，取而代之的，是箝制大眾聲音的劊子手。台灣的未來，即將與媒體巨獸共生—而實則，等於共死。

旺旺集團總經理蔡衍明於2008年買下中時媒體集團，蔡於2011年以巨額接續併購中嘉集團。當一個集團同時擁有平面、電視、網路及有線電視系統，它就不再只是一個集團，它是怪獸，是掌控人民思想權力的媒體巨獸。媒體巨獸能控制一切它想讓民眾知道的事實：上達操作政治議題創造輿論，下至灌輸民眾偏差訊息。臺灣引以為傲的新聞獨立與言論自由將正式步入墳場。

為表達媒體壟斷後臺灣言論自由瀕死之樣貌，反媒體壟斷英倫陣線 (UK for Taiwan Media Freedom) 在此號召廣大海外留學生，於一月十八日（五）下午一點，在Brunei Gallery SOAS Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square, London WC1H 0XG，以「死亡」概念之行動藝術—眾人同時靜默躺下，以衣物遮住臉部，象徵死亡，全程約五分鐘—表達我們無聲的憤怒，以及言論自由被剝奪的處境。爾後，我們將在一月底舉辦公共論壇，邀請多位學者針對媒體壟斷議題，以及台灣媒體現況與其未來方向等做深入討論。

我們期盼，此具體行動不僅能表達對壹傳媒併購案之不滿，也能引起更多共鳴迴響，並激發更多力量。我們不願意目睹，前人以思想和血淚替台灣所種下的珍貴資產—新聞獨立與言論自由—在眾目睽睽之下、在一片沈痛的吶喊聲中，凋零成空。我們是一群英國海外學子，也許我們力量不大，但我們的心必定如太陽般巨大。也許前方險惡，我們依然無所畏懼，堅持邁步，並勇敢堆砌屬於我們的堡壘—一個守護台灣自由與民主的堡壘。

台灣，你也許沒有名字，但我們將永遠捍衛你聲音和思想的權利。

反媒體壟斷英倫陣線 (UK for Taiwan Media Freedom)

總召 廖乙臻（07761731756 /yichen1122@hotmail.com）

副召 邱秉瑜（07598730819/ ianbychiu@gmail.com）

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Taiwanese students express anger against media deal back home through action art in London

Dort wo man Bücher verbrennt, verbrennt man auch am Ende Menschen.

Them that begin by burning books, end by burning men.

～Heinrich Heine (1856)

We are a group of Taiwanese students studying in different cities in the United Kingdom. Today we are here, to express our will to fight against media monopoly, and our determinations to fight for editorial independence. Today we are here, forming a student organisation “UK for Taiwan Media Freedom” to preserve the freedom of Press.

Unsatisfied with his already enormous media holdings in Taiwan, Tsai Eng-ming (蔡衍明), the owner of Want Want China Times Group, wants more. He wants a media monopoly. The decision of the Hong Kong-based Next Media Group to sell its Taiwanese newspaper, magazine and television businesses to several buyers that include Want Want China Times Group (旺旺中時集團) has stoked fears that the editorial independence enjoyed by the various media are now in an impending doom.

Media monopoly is so abominable and vicious that the value of democracy can easily be crippled and social norms can be highly undermined. Want Want China Times Group, if the transaction takes effect, will control 50% of what the Taiwanese read in newspapers every day. Media monopoly can easily block the public criticisms and purposely introduce bias to the news stories and imprint partial beliefs to people and also, crucially undermine the intrinsic value of Taiwanese democracy.

In Canada, Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) serves the needs and interests of citizens. In Australia, Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) oversees and controls media ownership. In the United Kingdom, they have Federal Communication Commission (FCC) to safeguard the media freedom and against media monopoly, which forbids one company from owning both a newspaper and a television station in one community. In Taiwan, we have National Communications Commission (NCC)—a commission, regrettably, that fail to serve the needs of Taiwanese citizens, a commission that allow media oligopoly, a commission that ignore media independency and the freedom of speech.

Our Democracy is at stake and therefore today, we appeal to international community to help. We appeal to foreign media for support.

Freedom of the press is now endangered in Taiwan. We are about to lose our rights to know the truth, our entitlements to the truth and our conception of the truth. In order to express the vicious character of media monopoly and the possible dying of media freedom in Taiwan, every single participant will lie down on the ground, covering their bodies with black veil on the 18th of January 2013, at Brunei Gallery SOAS Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square, London WC1H 0XG, to symbolise the dying of media freedom, and to convey our silent indignation.

In order to reach our goal to draw international attention, a public forum discussing the importance of media freedom and the serious chain consequences of media monopoly will follow up and take place at School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London on 30th of January.

~Them that begin by burning books, end by burning men~

A corruptive system will eventually lead to the corruption of mind. If we do not speak up in defence of our freedom of speech, our rights to truths and our concern of media independency, Taiwan, a country without its identity in the world, will in the end drowned in the pool of silence.

UK for Taiwan Media Freedom

Chief Coordinator: 廖乙臻Yi-chen Liao ( 07761731756/ yichen1122@hotmail.com )

Vice Chief Coordinator: 邱秉瑜 Bing-yu Chiu ( 07598730819/ ianbychiu@gmail.com )