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Social media platforms are often used by many to circulate unverified conclusions that are drawn by considering only a small part of an incident or just one or two photographs.
Below is a fact check we conducted regarding a similar incident, where several photographs taken during President Anura’s visit to Jaffna were misinterpreted and circulated on social media.
Social Media Posts :
A social media post, along with several photographs, was circulated claiming that President Anura Kumara Dissanayake had used a brand new luxury vehicle for his visit to the North.
The post included a photograph of the President getting off near a kovil from a white, tinted luxury vehicle under security protection, as well as a separate image showing the registration number of the relevant vehicle. These were shared along with a sarcastic statement implying that although the President often claims that certain items he uses were received as gifts and not purchased, he had in fact bought a luxury vehicle.
The caption further mocked him by suggesting that such a vehicle could not have been bought using public tax money and sarcastically insinuated that it must have been another “gift.” Overall, the tone of the post was intended to portray hypocrisy and question the President’s integrity regarding the use of luxury property.
In line with the same claim, we also observed several other social media posts circulating, implying that a newly manufactured vehicle from the year 2024 had been obtained for the President’s use.
Moreover, certain web news reports had also published photographs of the vehicle, claiming that the President had travelled to Jaffna in a newly imported Toyota Land Cruiser.
As these claims had reached and been shared among a considerable number of social media users, and in response to requests we received to verify their accuracy, we decided to conduct a fact-check to examine the authenticity of the claims.
Fact Check :
The photographs shared through social media clearly showed the President, and they were circulated around the same time as his Northern visit. Accordingly, we focused our attention on the President’s visit to Jaffna in January.
However, when we examined mainstream media reports to verify whether the President had travelled in the type of vehicle shown in the social media posts, we could not find any evidence of such a vehicle being reported.
Based on this, we took steps to contact the relevant parties to further verify the details.
The President’s Media Division
The President’s Media Division confirmed that they had looked into the authenticity of the photographs circulating on social media. They stated that on January 16, after the President had participated in religious observances at the Nagadeepa Rajamaha Vihara and paid respects to the head monk, he then proceeded to a kovil on the island for religious activities.
The Media Division confirmed that the President travelled to the kovil in the vehicle of the head monk of Nagadeepa Rajamaha Vihara, Most Venerable Navadagala Padumakitti Thissa Nahimipanan.
Meanwhile, photographs showing the President engaging in religious observances at Nagadeepa Temple and paying respects to the head monk were reported by both the President’s Media Division and mainstream media outlets like this and this.
Chief monk of Nagadeepa Rajamaha Vihara, Most Venerable Navadagala Padumakitti Thissa Nahimipanan
Meanwhile, during our inquiry, the Chief Monk of Nagadeepa, Most Venerable Navadagala Padumakitti Thissa, stated that the vehicle seen in the photographs circulating on social media was his personal car. He explained that after President Anura Kumara Dissanayake arrived at Nagadeepa Temple, he provided his private vehicle for the President’s travel to the kovil.
At the same time, a video shared on social media shows Most Venerable Navadagala Padumakitti Thissa stating that although he is a supporter of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, he is speaking truthfully about the matter. He emphasized that misleading interpretations about the vehicle used during President Anura’s visit to Nagadeepa were being circulated on social media.
The video below confirms that on January 16, President Anura Dissanayake visited Nagadeepa Temple, participated in religious observances, and proceeded to the kovil using the Chief Monk’s personal vehicle, which he had provided for the journey.
The President’s participation in religious observances at Nagadeepa Temple and the Nainativu Nagapooshani Amman Kovil was shared on social media in this manner.
Evidence confirming that the vehicle in the photographs belongs to the Chief Monk of Nagadeepa
The vehicle shown in the photographs circulating on social media, which was claimed to be the President’s new car, was confirmed to belong to the Chief Monk of Nagadeepa through a review of his official Facebook account. On January 22, a photograph showing the Chief Monk’s vehicle parked nearby was also posted on Facebook.
During an inspection of the construction at Jaffna Tissa Vihara, which had been the subject of controversy, it was also confirmed that the luxury vehicle circulating on social media posts belonged to the Chief Monk of Nagadeepa Raja Maha Vihhara. A journalist shared a photograph of the vehicle on their X account on February 2.
The photograph on January 16th The photograph on January 02nd
It was further confirmed in this way during a review of media reports, that on January 2, the Chief Monk of Nagadeepa had travelled to Tissa Vihara in the same vehicle to inspect the site.
Regional reporters
During our inquiry, our Jaffna reporter stated that after participating in religious observances at Nagadeepa Temple, the President proceeded to the Nagapooshani Amman Kovil in the personal vehicle of the Chief Monk of Nagadeepa.
Meanwhile, in 2021, we conducted a fact-check regarding a satirical post in which the nameplate on a vehicle belonging to the Chief Monk of the ancient Nagadeepa Rajamaha Vihara had been digitally altered and posted using the name Sunil Hadunnetti. The article can be viewed here.
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Conclusion :
Our investigation shows that the claims suggesting the President used a newly imported luxury vehicle for his Northern tour are misleading.
During the Northern visit, the President participated in religious observances at Nagadeepa Temple, paid respects to the Chief Monk, and used the personal vehicle of the Chief Monk of Nagadeepa to travel to a kovil on the same island. The photographs circulating on social media show the President alighting from this vehicle near the kovil.
Title:Did the President travel to the North in a brand-new luxury vehicle?
Fact Check By: Fact Crescendo TeamResult: Misleading
