False and Fabricated Posts Targeting Kathnoruwa Siridhamma Thero & President Anura!

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The Dhamma teachings delivered by Venerable Kathnoruwe Siridhamma Thero, who actively contributes towards the preservation of Buddhism and social well-being, and engages in preaching not only locally but also internationally, can often be seen and heard on social media. This is a fact check conducted by Fact Crescendo regarding several misleading posts circulating on social media about him.

Social Media Posts :

“Never tell lies. You can see what has happened to you now, Mr President. Your own Facebook page has now become your enemy. The posts you made 2 or 3 years ago now have to be deleted by you. You came to power through lies, and you will end through those same lies.”

Facebook | Archived Link

Many people shared this post, assuming it was true, while others said it was false.

More posts with similar themes continued to circulate on Facebook in this manner.

Facebook | Archived Link Facebook | Archived Link

These posts were also similarly shared via WhatsApp.

Meanwhile, another post was shared on Facebook on March 07, claiming that the Thero was unwell, along with a photo suggesting illness and a link for more details.

Facebook | Archived Link

Many readers questioned the accuracy of these posts, and in response to these requests, we took steps to verify the facts.

Fact Check :

The social media posts suggest that Venerable Kathnoruwe Siridhamma Thero made a statement during a sermon, advising against lying and implying that the current President is facing the harmful effects of lying.

To verify the above claims, we reviewed several recent sermons delivered by Thero. However, we did not find any statement similar to the one circulating on social media.

Furthermore, since most of his sermons are widely shared on social media, if such a statement had actually been made, a video of it would also be circulating. However, no such video containing the claimed statement was found during our observation.

Meanwhile, the link in the post claiming that the Thero was unwell does not include any details about such a condition. In fact, the same image had previously been used in similar false claims about his illness, and the Thero himself had clarified through his official account that such claims were false, as seen here. Additionally, a poster about a sermon scheduled for March 18 was published on his official account, indicating that he is preparing to participate in upcoming sermons. This further confirms that the claim that he is unwell is false.

Coordinator of Venerable Kathnoruwe Siridhamma Thero

When we inquired about the posts circulating on social media, the coordinator of Venerable Kathnoruwe Siridhamma Thero stated that no such statement had been made and confirmed that the posts were completely fabricated.

He further stated that the Thero is in good health and that the claims that he is ill are false.

Previously, as well, similar posts had circulated on social media claiming that Kathnoruwe Siridhamma Thero was ill. Here is a fact check we conducted in Sinhala.

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Conclusion :

Our investigation shows that Venerable Kathnoruwe Siridhamma Thero has not made any statement advising against lying and implying that the current President is facing harmful effects from lying.

These posts are fabricated, created by misusing the formats of several prominent Facebook pages and using Thero’s image, with the intention of misleading the public.

Furthermore, the claim that Thero is unwell is false; Thero remains in good health.