Circulating Letter on Sajith's Participation in Debate with Anura  Is Fake

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The long-standing issue of a debate between opposition leader Sajith Premadasa of the SJB and Anura Kumara of NPP has generated considerable discussion in Sri Lanka. Despite months of negotiations, no debate has taken place, with the SJB proposing an initial debate between economic committees and the NPP favoring a direct leaders' debate. Recently, misleading posts on social media claimed that Premadasa agreed to a debate on June 6, citing a fake letter with his letterhead and signature.

Social Media Posts

A letter with the letterhead of opposition leader Sajith Premadasa and his signature, circulating on social media, claims that Premadasa is ready to attend a debate with NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake on June 6(today) at ITN channel.

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We decided to do a fact check in this to see whether a letter is genuine.

Background

There has been ongoing discussion for months about a debate between the two main opposition political parties in Sri Lanka: Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) and National People's Power (NPP). The SJB proposed that the parties' economic committees should debate first, followed by the leaders, while the NPP suggested a direct leaders' debate. So far, no debate has taken place.

Recently, the state-owned channel ITN suggested a debate between the two leaders on June 6(Today). Anura Kumara Dissanayake accepted this invitation a few days ago. However, a letter with Sajith Premadasa's letterhead and signature has been circulating, claiming that he is ready to attend the debate.

SJB Media Secretary's Statement:

SJB media secretary confirmed that the letter was fake.

Official Communication from SJB:

In a letter to ITN chairman Sudarshana Gunawardhana, MP Nalin Bandara, the operational head of SJB, stated that Sajith Premadasa is not ready to attend the debate today. The reason given was that the debate between the parties' economic committees had not yet taken place, as previously discussed.

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Conclusion

The letter circulating on social media, claiming that opposition leader Sajith Premadasa is ready to attend a debate with Anura Kumara Dissanayake on June 6, is fake. This has been confirmed SJB media secretary, and corroborated by an official letter from MP Nalin Bandara to ITN's chairman.