Footage of President Anura using the Presidential Helicopter Fleet? Find out the truth…

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President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and his party, the NPP, made promises regarding reducing corruption and waste, even before the election cycle. They had also criticised former presidents, in particular, for using more than one helicopter for long-distance travelling. 

In such a context, a social media post that claimed that President Anura was using two helicopters created a lot of sparks on social media. However, our investigation found that these were yet another instance of false allegations against President Anura and his use of helicopters.

Social Media Posts:

A video of two helicopters landing at a stadium, and the person who arrived from one of the helicopters being taken out of the stadium amidst a convoy of VIP cars, providing VIP security, was shared among social media platforms, implying that it is President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. It was shared with the caption “They questioned whether one is to jump into if one got broken down”.

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Facebook

Here is how it was shared through Facebook.

The video had also gone viral on TikTok and other social media platforms, and similar posts were also shared, suggesting that it was an instance of the current president using two helicopters.

Based on the reader requests as well, we decided to fact-check this claim.

Fact Check :

It appears that the caption of the post was based on the statement made by Anura Kumara Dissanayake condemning the use of more than one helicopter by former heads of state.

During the 2014 budget debate, Anura Kumara Dissanayake criticised the Parliament regarding the usage of more than one helicopter. Here is an instance of it.

Similarly, here is an instance where Anura Kumara Dissanayake made comments on the election platform in 2016, criticising former President Maithripala Sirisena for using two planes for his travels.

Therefore, we checked whether these current viral video claims implying the use of multiple helicopters by President Anura hold any truth.

Scenes when former President Ranil Wickremesinghe visited a stadium in the Beruwala area! 

We first focused on what this place was, and according to the comments in this video, it was indicated that the place in the video is known as “Moragalla Achichige Stadium”.

The background shown in the video posted on social media was compared to the background of photographs taken via Google Maps Street View in 2021 of the Moragolla Achchige stadium.

When examining the current photos, it can be seen that the Moragolla Achchige Stadium has been renovated after 2021, as shown in this, this and this. The above viral video was taken after the renovation, i.e., in 2021. Archived Link

We inquired from several local journalists in the Beruwala-Aluthgama area whether President Anura Kumara Dissanayake arrived at this stadium by a helicopter.

They stated that President Anura Kumara never visited the location by helicopter. They furthermore stated that, during the 2024 presidential election, former President Ranil Wickremesinghe arrived at the stadium by a helicopter and then attended a presidential election rally in Beruwala, surrounded by security vehicles.

We further inquired from several residents of the area surrounding the stadium, and they confirmed that it was Ranil Wickremesinghe who arrived by a helicopter, not Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

A close examination of the video that has gone viral on social media reveals that the figure of the person who is getting down from the helicopter is closer to Ranil Wickremesinghe, although the person’s face is not clear.

Sri Lanka Air Force

We asked Air Force Media Director and Media Spokesperson, Group Captain Eranda Geeganage, whether President Anura Kumara uses two helicopters for his activities.

He mentioned that, except on one occasion, he has not used the presidential helicopters for travelling. One instance was to depart for Anuradhapura when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Sri Lanka last year.

When we inquired, former President Ranil Wickremesinghe confirmed that he used two helicopters for his travels.

During Ranil Wickremesinghe’s presidency, there were a lot of discussions on social media about the use of two helicopters, especially during the presidential election campaign period, and such incidents were published on social media like this, this, this and this. Archived Link, Archived Link

Presidential Media Division

The Presidential Media Division confirmed that President Anura Kumara does not use the helicopter for his travels, and only one was used to visit Anuradhapura for the visit of the Indian Prime Minister.

They also stated that the video circulating on social media does not feature President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, and that the President does not use VIP vehicles or a large number of security guards for security, as shown in the video.

A source from Beruwala Police states that this video is of a visit by former President Ranil Wickremesinghe.

The use of two helicopters by various world leaders

Presidents around the world often use multiple helicopters for their travel for presidential security. This practice makes it difficult for an enemy to guess which aircraft the president is flying in.

Additionally, the use of multiple helicopters allows for a quick landing and the use of the other aircraft in the event of technical problems with the primary aircraft. It is used to carry security personnel and equipment, and to increase tactical flexibility, i.e., to efficiently manage risk by making emergency route changes. More information here.

However, this method of multiple Helicopter Fleets has been criticised, not only in Sri Lanka, but in a few other countries with emerging economies or ones facing economic crisis, such as Somalia, the Philippines, and Brazil, considering the opportunity cost of the allocation of such resources. 

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Conclusion:

The video, which was widely shared, states that President Anura Kumara arrived at the Moragolla Achchige Stadium by two helicopters, but it is actually footage of former President Ranil Wickremasinghe. Local reporters, residents of the area, as well as the Presidential Media Division, and Sri Lanka Air Force, which manages these helicopters, confirmed that President Anura Kumara Dissanayake did not arrive in Aluthgama-Beruwala via a helicopter.