Clarification on General Shavendra Silva's Jet Travel Allegations!

දිනපතා සත්‍ය කරුණු දැන ගැනීමට අපගේ WhatsApp සමුහයටමෙතනින් එකතුවන්න.

Significant military expenditure in Sri Lanka, primarily attributed to maintaining a considerably high number of personnel, has been subjected to widespread criticism on several occasions.

Against this backdrop, viral social media posts allege that Chief of Defence Staff General Shavendra Silva is utilising private jets at the expense of public funds in Sri Lanka. Our investigation aims to shed light on the veracity of these claims and provide a clearer understanding of the situation.

Social Media Posts

Social media posts allege that General Shavendra Silva and his wife travelled on a private jet, spending public money during a time of economic crisis in Sri Lanka.

Let’s keep on paying more taxes!

The budget indeed allow more allocation for defense coz they chose to travel in private jets. 👌🏻 pic.twitter.com/HiABbkduIk

— Evil Savior (@EvilSavior7) December 13, 2023

Archived

The same claim was shared among Facebook users also, alongside the caption, “Lets keep on paying more taxes! The budget indeed allows more allocation for defence coz they chose to travel in private jets.”

Fact Check

Denial by Defense Ministry Sources:

As per the sources close to the defence ministry of Sri Lanka the photo depicts General Shavendra Silva and his wife in a special jet provided by the Indian Air Force. The sources clarified that the Sri Lankan government did not fund this trip.

We reliably learnt that General Shavendra Silva attended the passing out ceremony of the Indian Military Academy as the chief guest. The Indian Air Force provided the jet for this purpose.

Corroborating Evidence from the Indian Military Academy:

A statement from the Indian Military Academy supports the claim that General Shavendra Silva attended the passing-out ceremony as the chief guest. This statement lends credibility to the explanation provided by the Defence Ministry of Sri Lanka.

Tweet from Additional Directorate of Indian Army:

A tweet from the Additional Directorate of the Indian Army related to public affairs confirms General Shavendra Silva's attendance at the event.

Denial by General Shavendra Silva

The photos from the Indian Military Academy passing out event were shared by General Shavendra Silva as well.

When contacted, General Shavendra Silva stated that it was the Indian Air Force that arranged the private jet journey from Dehradun to Delhi and back as he was the Chief Guest of the passing out parade.

Daily Mirror also reported an article titled “Indian Air Force arranges special jet transport for General Silva in Delhi”, clarifying the confusion over the viral image above clarification and adding that the “Indian Air Force, in accordance with standard protocol for VIPs, facilitated General Silva with a jet for his travel to participate in the Passing Out Parade.” The full article can be read here.

Confirmation from the Indian Team:

The Fact Crescendo Team’s Indian counterparts confirmed that it is a common practice for the Indian military to provide similar transportation for guests attending their events, further supporting the explanation given by the defence ministry related sources.

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Conclusion:

While the social media posts correctly identified General Shavendra Silva's travel on a special jet, the claim of misuse of public funds for this trip is misleading. The travel was facilitated by the Indian Air Force for General Silva to attend the passing out ceremony of the Indian Military Academy as the chief guest.

Therefore, it is crucial to consider the context and the specific circumstances surrounding such events before making allegations of misuse of public funds.