After the 519 Green Action in 1986, there was a rise of public dissent and activism in Taiwan, including the founding of an opposition political party - the Democratic Progressive Party or DPP and the “228 Peace Day Movement” . The pressure for the regime to lift martial law was accumulating, both domestically and from the international community. Meanwhile, rumors circulated that the regime wanted to replace martial law with a National Security Act. The act would serve the same function: that is, to limit freedom of speech and to justify state surveillance of citizens. And so, in 1987, the second year of the 519 Green Action, a new demand was added to the protest. In addition to “lift martial law”, the group advocated that people “oppose the National Security Act”. What the people of Taiwan had wanted was the end of authoritarian rule, and to fight for democracy and freedom.

At an Anti-National Security Act rally at Jinhua Junior High School in Taipei, Nylon gave a speech and said, “My name is Nylon Cheng. I support Taiwan independence.” This was the first time anyone had publicly spoken out for “Taiwan independence”.

On July 15th, 1987, martial law was finally lifted, ending what was the longest martial law in world history at the time. But at the same time, a National Security Act was put into place adding to the existing list of laws that were used to justify the suppression of freedom. This included the Period of National Mobilization for the Suppression of the Communist Rebellion, the Betrayers Punishment Act, the Act for Checking and Clearing Out Communist Spies, and Article 100 of the criminal law. These laws were used to justify placing citizens on a blacklist, many of whom were in self-exile. Others were imprisoned or sentenced to death. The government was still conducting state surveillance. Even though martial law had ended, democracy and freedom had not yet arrived.

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