Jan 31, Colombo: President's Counsel and Western Provincial Councilor of Sri Lanka's main opposition United National Party (UNP), Srinath Perera has blamed the public for remaining silent until a dictatorship is built in the country.

Perera has been quoted in the media saying that the country is rapidly moving towards a dictatorship given its recent actions.

He has cited the recently approved amendments to the Criminal Procedure Act where a person arrested without a warrant could be detained for a period of 48 hours before presenting to a court of law, as yet another move on the path to creating a dictatorial rule.

He has observed that the new legislation usurped individual rights.

However, Perera has said that he did not blame the government for these actions, but the people who remain silent when the citizens' rights are being trampled upon.

Perera played an active role in the protest campaign against the impeachment motion against former Chief Justice Dr. Shirani Bandaranayake.