Tomorrow, 20 years ago on July 15, 1987 martial law was officially lifted in Taiwan. It had taken effect on May 20, 1949, right after the Nationalist army of Chiang Kai-shek fled to Taiwan. That means martial law was in effect for more than 38 years. All those who chant the praises of Taiwan as a beacon of democracy in the Chinese world should not forget the long years of martial law, when in fact there was more freedom in mainland China than in Taiwan. Hundreds were executed and thousands imprisoned, many of them innocent. Chen Shui-bian's DPP even claims that 8,000 were executed and 200,000 imprisoned, although the KMT disputes those figures.
Then president Chiang Ching-kuo gave the order to lift martial law six months before he died. The lifting of martial marked the understanding of the Taiwanese authorities that “suppression of the Communist bandits” and “retaking the mainland” would fail. While this could of course be considered to be progress, Chiang's successor Lee Teng-hui gradually steered Taiwan on a course of independence, thereby risking an armed confrontation with the government of the People's Republic of China. So for 38 years under martial law, the authorities who had fled to Taiwan tried (in vain) to reconquer the mainland and topple its government and in the 20 years since, their successors are trying to split Taiwan from the mainland. In both cases they tried to provoke an armed conflict with the legal government of China in Beijing.
Perhaps the time has come for reconciliation, the return of Taiwan under the rule of the government in Beijing. That would be even more significant than the abolition of martial law. Taiwanese premier Chang Chun-hsiung said imposing martial law was a historic blunder that can be pardoned but cannot be forgotten. Declaring Taiwanese independence would be even a bigger blunder, which could not be pardoned nor forgotten.
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