Did Minister Professor Chandana Abeyratne state that government employees who posted anti- government news on social media were suspended?

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Misleading statements allegedly made by government ministers are common on social media. We fact-checked a viral claim about a statement attributed to Minister Professor Chandana Abeyratne.

Social Media Posts :

A Facebook post circulated on social media claiming that Professor Chandana Abeyratne, Minister of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government, made a statement regarding public servants. Accordingly, he stated that hundreds of public servants who had spread anti-government news through social media had been suspended. This post was structured according to the post format of the official Dinamina Facebook page and contained a photo of the minister. However, it did not include any further details on when or where the minister made the relevant statement.

Facebook | Archived Link

Accordingly, we investigated whether the minister had actually made such a statement regarding public servants.

Fact Check :

First, we checked the official Facebook page of the Dinamina newspaper, which published this news. However, the official Dinamina Facebook page has not published any such post recently.

If an incident like the suspension of the appointments of government employees had taken place, it would have been reported through the mainstream media, and there must have been a social upheaval or an impact related to it. However, upon monitoring the main stream media, we did not find any such news report or any information related to it.

Meanwhile, upon further investigation, we found a post similar to the one circulating on social media. It was posted on the official Dinamina Facebook page in February 2025, with the Minister’s photo. Facebook

Accordingly, it can be concluded that the post circulating on social media these days stating that hundreds of government employees who spread anti-government news through social media have been suspended is an edited version of the original post published on the official Facebook account of Dinamina, which stated that the budget will pave the way for massive investment.

We also inquired with senior journalist and Lake House Editorial Director Sisira Yapa to further confirm this, and he stated that the social media post has been falsely edited and circulated, and that it was not an official news published by Dinamina.

Media Secretary to the Minister of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government

To further clarify the credibility of the circulated statement, we contacted the Media Secretary of the Minister of Public Administration, Provincial Councils, and Local Government via telephone. The Media Secretary stated that Minister Chandana Abeyratne has not released such a statement regarding the suspension of the government employees. He confirmed that the circulated post contains fake content.

Circular regarding government employees expressing opinions on social media

A circular was issued on September 27, 2022, under the signature of the Secretary to the Ministry of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government, M.M.P.K. Mayadunne, specifying the procedures to be followed by government employees when expressing opinions on social media.

It states that it is an offense for a government employee to post comments on social media violating the provisions of Sections 6 and 7 of Chapter XLVII of Part Two of the Establishments Code, which may result in disciplinary action.

Furthermore, it states that disciplinary actions would be taken against an employee who carries out an activity through social media that an employee not entitled to enjoy political rights is not entitled to perform.

Recently, steps were taken to suspend Dr. Rukshan Bellana, who was the Acting Deputy Director of the Colombo National Hospital. According to the preliminary investigations conducted by the Ministry of Health and Mass Media, as a government medical officer holding a responsible position, he has been acting in a manner that has created a controversial situation in the country and created unrest among the public through various media outlets and by releasing statements to the media without prior approval. A media report in this regard is available here.

Meanwhile, a BBC news report published in this regard states that it is noteworthy that this circular has been issued in an environment where various government officials, including doctors, have continuously stated that malnutrition in the country has increased and various incidents related to it are being reported through social media and the media.

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Conclusion :

Our investigation shows that the Minister of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government, Professor Chandana Abeyratne, has not made a statement that hundreds of public servants who spread anti-government news on social media have been suspended. Accordingly, it is clear that the relevant post is a false post, and that no public servants have been suspended so far.