JVP stalwart Anura Kumara Dissanayake yesterday said that suppression, intimidation and threatening of the media by the government and its cohorts had reached its climax and the time is right the masses to unite and fight against these forces.

Addressing a press conference, Dissanayake urged all political parties fighting against the suppression of media and for the restoration of democracy to shed all ideological differences and join hands to take a firm stand against the oppressors.

"The government has fully ignored the democratic norms and is resorting to autocratic rule while preaching democracy," he said.

It has failed to uphold the orders given by a Court of law. It has failed to implement the 17th Amendment to the Constitution and rules rules acts in an arbitrary manner, Dissanayake said.

He said that the government will soon have to restore normalcy in the country and respect the law of the land.

Sanath Balasuriya, President of the Working Journalists Association, said that Rajapaksas have started labelling people and branding them without any proof of wrong doing in order to achieve their own political agendas and sinister plans.

Responding to queries about on what grounds the Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, in a TV talk show, said that he ordered the arrest of a ‘Sirasa’ employee who made a comment to the CNN on the suppression of media by the Government and various other allegations, Balasuriya said he must have definite proof that the person against whom he is making the allegations is guilty of perpetrating a crime.

Anura Kumara Dissanayake said "The Defence Secretary is no ordinary policeman and he is responsible for what ever the comments he makes. If he has no proof of what he says he should not make allegations or level charges against a person in public."

Answering a query on what could be done to restore democracy in the North where people are suffering as a result of the war and in the South where democracy has eroded due to the government’s arbitrary rule, Dissanayake said that an immediate solution has to be found to the problem.

A massive rally has been planned in Nugegoda on Monday, 19, against the erosion of democracy in Sri Lanka and suppression of media freedom.