Sudden Call Out for Tri-Forces by President Wickremasinghe? Find out the facts…

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As the heat gradually intensifies for the presidential polls, some of the periodic directives by the government and the president himself often get misattributed to the elections. Let’s look at one such instance where social media posts distorted a regular directive on national security, presenting it in a deceptive manner to mislead the public.

Social Media Posts

Social media circles were buzzing with posts suggesting President Ranil Wickremesinghe recently called upon the tri-forces to establish law and order in the country. These posts imply that this is a new decision made by the President in the lead-up to the upcoming presidential elections on September 21^st.

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Fact-Check:

Background of the Claim:

The claim suggests that President Wickremesinghe's recent call to the tri-forces via an extraordinary gazette is a new and unique action potentially linked to the upcoming presidential election. The posts appear to have been crafted to create a sense of agitation or concern among the public regarding the country's state of law and order.

The related gazette notification issued on August 27^th under the public security ordinance can be reached here. As per the gazette notice, under the powers vested upon the President of Sri Lanka, under Section 12 of the Public Security Ordinance (Chapter 40), current President Ranil Wickremesinghe had ordered to call out all the members of the Armed Forces, in all 25 administrative districts of Sri Lanka, for the maintenance of Public Order.

Recurring Presidential Practice:

President Wickremesinghe's call to the tri-forces to maintain law and order is not a new or extraordinary decision. This practice has been a regular occurrence in Sri Lanka for years, spanning multiple administrations.

Since 2010, various presidents, including Mahinda Rajapaksa, Maithripala Sirisena, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, and now Ranil Wickremesinghe, have issued such directives from time to time. These directives are standard procedures to ensure the nation's stability and security. Some of such gazette notifications can be seen below.

We searched for recent instances of this particular gazette notification. We realised that the same notice had also been repeatedly issued in the recent past, almost monthly. Gazette notifications for the same subject were issued on the 22^nd of May, June, and July, as seen below.

Ministry of Defence

We contacted the Ministry of Defence for additional clarification. Director of Media, Colonel Nalin Herath, reiterated that this particular gazette notification is not a sudden or extraordinary decision, as many past presidents have also periodically issued the same notice.

Col. Nalin added that this gazette notification sometimes creates unnecessary spur among the public, leading to many misconceptions. However, it does not indicate handing over the country's governance to the armed forces or any unnecessary interference in public activities.

He elaborated that this is only to keep the armed forces on alert to maintain public safety and public order and to maintain supplies and services in the event of a public emergency or the possibility of such a situation.

Regularly Creating Confusion Among Public, Closer to Key Events of Public Interest

This gazette notification has also previously created confusion among the public, mainly due to the misleading nature of the news reporting, which is later picked up by social media. Here is an instance of a fact check done in Sinhala back in 2021 regarding the same misconception.

This kind of disinformation campaign creates an atmosphere of mistrust and uncertainty, making it crucial for voters to verify information through reliable sources before drawing conclusions or sharing content.

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Conclusion:

Social media posts claiming President Wickremesinghe's call to the tri-forces is a new and extraordinary decision is misleading. The issue of the gazette notification under the public security ordinance is a standard procedure that multiple past administrations have followed over the years and will continue to follow in the future as well.