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The government officially declared 27 May to 2 June 2026 as Vesak Week. As with previous religious and public holidays, the Vesak season brought with it a wave of misleading posts on social media, ranging from inaccurate claims about liquor store closures to fabricated statements attributed to government ministers. Below is our fact-check on three such claims.
Claim 1
Social Media Posts :
A mainstream media network reported that all liquor stores across the island would remain closed from 29 May to 1 June for Vesak Week. That report circulated as follows.
The video also spread across social media in this form: TikTok
Fact-Check :
We first cross-checked how other mainstream media outlets had reported the liquor store closure dates for Vesak Week. All other outlets reported a consistent position: the government had decided to hold the National Vesak Festival for Buddhist Year 2570 on 30th and 31st May 2026, and the Commissioner General of Excise had accordingly directed all liquor stores to remain closed on those two days.
In practical terms, stores would close at closing time on 29th May and reopen on morning of Monday 1st June. The stores were closed only on 30 and 31 May. Relevant media reports are available here and here.
Liquor stores across the island were closed on 30 and 31 May only.
We also examined the official statement issued by the Excise Department, which confirmed the same: since the Vesak Festival was set for 30 and 31 May, all liquor stores were required to remain closed on those two days only. The statement also clarified that an earlier decision to close stores on 1 and 2 May had been revised to cover only the Poya Day falling on 1 May. The relevant notice, as published by a mainstream outlet, is available here.
Department of Excise
We contacted the Department of Excise directly, and they confirmed that liquor stores across the island were closed for Vesak Week on 30 and 31 May only. The claim that stores would remain closed from 29 May to 1 June was therefore inaccurate.
Ministry of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government
The Ministry of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government issued a separate notice stating that meat shops, slaughterhouses, race betting outlets, casinos, and clubs would remain closed on 30 and 31 May and 1 June. However, that notice made no reference to liquor stores. The notice, published via a social media page, is available here.
Claim 2
Social Media Posts :
A post circulated claiming that Agriculture Minister Lal Kantha had stated that ownerless stray cattle were a major obstacle to society, that he had asked Muslim communities to do whatever they wished with these cattle, that there were no legal restrictions on doing so, and that Vesak Poya Day had even been adjusted to accommodate this.
The post also circulated widely in this form: Facebook
We investigated whether the Minister had actually made such a statement.
Fact-Check :
If Agriculture Minister Lal Kantha had made such a statement, mainstream media outlets would have reported it. We found no such report from any mainstream outlet. A review of the Minister’s official statements also found no evidence that any such claim was made.
It should be noted that on 5 December 2024, the Minister made a separate statement in Parliament about wild animals damaging crops, in which he stated that farmers face no legal restrictions in taking necessary measures to prevent damage caused by wild animals such as monkeys in their cultivated lands. However, that statement was made in 2024 and contained no reference to Vesak Day or the slaughter of cattle. The full statement is available here.
Media Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture (Lal Kantha)
The Media Secretary to Agriculture Minister Lal Kantha confirmed that the post is completely false and that the Minister made no such statement. The post is a fabrication presented as a genuine ministerial statement.
Claim 3
Social Media Posts :
A post circulated attributing a statement to Deputy Energy Minister Akram Ilyas, claiming that he had said Vesak Day had been postponed, accommodating the Hajj festival, and that police would be informed about individuals photographing and sharing on social media images of cattle brought for slaughter.
Fact-Check :
Deputy Energy Minister Akram Ilyas made no such statement. No mainstream media outlet carried any report of such a claim being made.
We contacted the Deputy Minister’s media division for clarification. They confirmed that the post is entirely false and that the Minister made no such statement. They further noted that since the Deputy Minister is a Muslim, certain parties were deliberately fabricating and circulating false statements attributed to him in order to incite communal tensions.
Also Read: Clarification on the public holiday the day after Vesak Poya Day
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Conclusion :
Claim 1: The report that liquor stores would remain closed from 29 May to 1 June was inaccurate. The Department of Excise confirmed that stores were closed on 30 and 31 May only.
Claim 2: The post claiming Agriculture Minister Lal Kantha made a statement about stray cattle and Muslim communities is a fabrication. His Media Secretary confirmed no such statement was made. A 2024 parliamentary remark about crop damage from wild animals was twisted beyond recognition to produce this false claim.
Claim 3: The post attributing a statement about Vesak, Hajj, and cattle to Deputy Energy Minister Akram Ilyas is entirely false. The Deputy Minister’s media division confirmed this and noted the post was part of a deliberate effort to incite communal tensions.
Title: Three Misleading Posts That Spread During Vesak Week 2026 and What the Facts Show
Fact Check By: B.P. Hansani
Result: Misleading
