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Several false social media posts have been widely circulated attributing fabricated statements to Deputy Minister of Transport Prasanna Gunasena regarding the Upcountry Railway Line, which suffered severe damage from Cyclone Ditwah in late November 2025. Fact Crescendo Sri Lanka investigated three separate claims connected to this theme across two fact-check articles published in May and June 2026.

Claim 1: Deputy Minister Prasanna Threatened to Prosecute Anyone Photographing Damaged Railway Sites

A post formatted in the style of the Dinamina newspaper was widely shared on social media claiming that Deputy Minister of Transport Prasanna Gunasena had stated that he would strictly enforce the law against persons photographing damaged sections of the Upcountry Railway Line and sharing those images on social media.

Social Media Posts

Facebook | Archived Link

The post was formatted to resemble an official Dinamina news report, lending it an appearance of credibility.

Fact-Check

The Upcountry Railway Line sustained severe damage following Cyclone Ditwah, which struck Sri Lanka in late November 2025. In the affected areas between Gampola and Nawalapitiya, Kadugannawa and Balana, and Nanuoya and Ambewela, numerous landslides buried sections of the track. Around Radalalla and Warakapitiya, the embankment beneath the tracks was washed away for approximately 40 to 50 feet. Rockfalls and bridge damage halted all train services, with 97 locations between Maradana and Peradeniya reporting serious damage. Further details are available here, here, and here.

Although Deputy Minister Prasanna Gunasena made several media statements regarding the damaged railway line during this period, and those statements received wide coverage in mainstream media, no mainstream outlet reported any statement by the minister threatening legal action against people photographing the damaged sites.

We also examined the image used in the viral post. The photograph depicted the minister addressing media at an event. A reverse image search confirmed that this image was taken on 17 May 2025, when the minister spoke to media in Kandy about a railway strike that was active at the time. That event predates Cyclone Ditwah by several months. The minister’s actual statement from that occasion is available below:

We verified this directly with the media secretary of Deputy Minister Prasanna Gunasena, who confirmed that the minister had made no such statement and that the post is false.

Verdict

FALSE. The post attributing this statement to Deputy Minister Prasanna Gunasena was fabricated. The minister’s office confirmed he made no such statement. The photograph used in the post was taken months before Cyclone Ditwah during a completely unrelated event.

Claim 2: Deputy Minister Prasanna Said Damaged Rural Hill Country Roads Would Not Be Repaired to Displace Residents

A second post circulating on social media attributed to Deputy Minister Prasanna Gunasena stated that roads in rural hill country areas damaged by Cyclone Ditwah would deliberately not be repaired, as this formed part of a plan to remove residents from those areas.

Social Media Posts

Facebook | Archived Link

Fact-Check

No mainstream media outlet has reported any such statement by Deputy Minister Prasanna Gunasena, nor is there any evidence that he made this statement on any other occasion.

We contacted the minister’s media secretary, who stated that the minister had made no such statement. The secretary further confirmed that repair work on roads and homes damaged by Cyclone Ditwah is actively ongoing. While procurement and design processes have caused some delays, work has not been stopped and is being expedited.

Verdict

FALSE. The minister’s office confirmed that no such statement was made. Repair work on Ditwah-damaged infrastructure is continuing.

Claim 3: The British Government Promised Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya It Would Rebuild the Upcountry Railway Line Free of Charge

A third social media post, widely shared on Facebook, claimed that Deputy Minister of Transport Prasanna Gunasena had announced: ‘Good news for the entire country! The British government has promised the Prime Minister that it will rebuild the Upcountry Railway Line free of charge.’

Social Media Posts

Facebook | Archived Link

Fact-Check

The Upcountry Railway Line, which is also Sri Lanka’s main railway line, was damaged by the heavy rainfall and strong winds brought by Cyclone Ditwah, which affected the entire island in late November 2025. Had the British government approved a free reconstruction or repair of the railway line, this would certainly have been reported by Sri Lanka’s mainstream media as well as British outlets such as the BBC and other international news organisations. However, no such report or official information was found during our investigation.

No evidence was found that Deputy Minister Prasanna Gunasena made such a statement, or that the British government extended any such promise to Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya.

No Official Reports from the British Government

Proposals for international infrastructure and development projects funded by the British government are primarily published through the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). The FCDO DevTracker is the official public database containing information on British aid-funded projects worldwide, including funding allocations and project documents for specific countries. No such information relating to the reconstruction or repair of Sri Lanka’s Upcountry Railway Line was found there. Similarly, the British government publishes open project proposals for major international infrastructure and development grants through its International Development Funding portal, and no railway project in Sri Lanka was identified there either.

Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya

We contacted the Prime Minister’s media coordinator, who confirmed that the claim is false and that no such promise was made by the British government to the Prime Minister.

Deputy Minister Prasanna Gunasena

We also contacted the media coordinator of Deputy Minister Prasanna Gunasena, who stated that the minister had made no such statement on any occasion. He further noted that restoration work on the Upcountry Railway Line is being carried out as a matter of urgency and that the cost of these repairs is being met by the Sri Lankan government.

According to information published on the official Facebook page of the Ministry of Transport, 97 incidents including landslides, soil erosion, rockfalls, and damage to bridges and culverts were reported along the main railway line between Maradana and Peradeniya because of the Ditwah disaster. Of these, 92 incidents have already been rectified through the dedicated efforts of the Department of Railways. The Ministry further stated that restoration work was underway at the remaining five locations between Rambukkana and Kadugannawa. This update was published as follows. (Archived Link)

Verdict

FALSE. The British government made no promise to rebuild the Upcountry Railway Line free of charge. Deputy Minister Prasanna Gunasena made no such announcement. Restoration work is ongoing and is funded by the Sri Lankan government.

Status of Upcountry Railway Restoration (as of May 2026)

As of 12 May 2026, restoration work had been completed at 92 of the 97 locations damaged by Cyclone Ditwah. Mainline passenger train services from Colombo remained limited to Rambukkana station, as train operations between Rambukkana and Kadugannawa could not yet resume. Restoration work at the remaining five locations was still ongoing. The government’s target is to reopen the Rambukkana to Peradeniya and Kandy section at the earliest opportunity and to fully restore operations on the entire Upcountry Railway Line before the end of 2026. Further details are available here.

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Conclusion

Our investigation found that all three social media posts attributed to Deputy Minister of Transport Prasanna Gunasena in connection with the Upcountry Railway Line are false. The minister did not threaten legal action against those photographing damaged railway sites. He did not claim that rural hill country roads would be left unrepaired to displace residents. And he did not announce that the British government promised to rebuild the Upcountry Railway Line free of charge. The minister’s office, the Prime Minister’s office, and the Ministry of Transport all confirmed that these claims are untrue. Restoration of the Upcountry Railway Line is being funded and conducted by the Sri Lankan government and was, as of May 2026, substantially advanced.