Viral WhatsApp Forward About A certain Ranil Wickremesinghe's Arrest is NOT related to the SL president! 

Subscribe to our WhatsApp Channel

Using famous public figure names in a misleading manner is a common tactic on social media, and even mainstream media sometimes engages in this practice, especially close to key elections. Such misleading reports and posts often target prominent figures, including two leading politicians, distorting facts to influence public perception and drive specific narratives.

Social Media Posts

A viral WhatsApp forward claims Ranil Wickremesinghe was arrested by police while watching pornography at a railway station and implied that Maithripala Sirisena, one of the former Sri Lankan presidents, had bailed him out.

Below is an instance of the newspaper clipping that was recently shared on Facebook.

FB | Archived

This post included the names of two famous politicians, Ranil Wickremesinghe and Maithripala, so we decided to fact-check it.

Fact Check

Origin of the News: The origin of this misleading news can be traced back to a newspaper article published in the "Mawbima" newspaper. The newspaper, considered by many for its pro-Rajapaksa stance at that time, reported the arrest of a 21-year-old youth named Ranil Wickremesinghe at the Talawakale railway station for watching pornography. The youth's father, named Maithripala, bailed him out. This article, published just over a month before the January 2015 presidential election, had no connection to the current President, Ranil Wickremesinghe, or former President, Maithripala Sirisena.

Headline Misinterpretation: The headline of the newspaper article was written in a sarcastic manner, likely to attract attention. However, this has led to significant misinterpretation and misuse, especially in social media, where it has been taken out of context and shared widely.

Political Context: During the time of the article's publication, Ranil Wickremesinghe was the Leader of the Opposition and had played a crucial role in bringing Maithripala Sirisena as the common candidate from the opposition coalition in the presidential election, which Sirisena eventually won. The misleading news can be seen as an attempt to tarnish their reputations, considering the political landscape and the rivalry with the Rajapaksa regime.

Evidence from Archives and Tweets: The original news article can be found in web archives, confirming that it pertains to a young man with the same name as the current President but is unrelated to him. An archived version of the misleading newspaper web article, dating back to 1^st December 2014, can be reached here.

Here is another website that published the same news on December 2nd, 2014. Ada Derana also reported the same incident at that time, as seen here.

Current Misinformation: Despite the article being about a different individual, the resurfacing of this news with misleading claims has caused confusion. Verifying the authenticity of such sensational claims is crucial by referring to credible sources and understanding the complete context.

Follow us and stay up to date with our latest fact checks.

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Google News | TikTok

Conclusion:

The viral claim that Ranil Wickremesinghe was arrested for watching pornography at a railway station and bailed out by Maithripala Sirisena is misleading. The incident involved different individuals with the same names as the two prominent politicians of Sri Lanka and was misinterpreted by an old newspaper article from December 2014. This misinformation highlights the importance of critical evaluation and verification of viral content on social media.