{"id":6627,"date":"2023-04-22T19:03:41","date_gmt":"2023-04-22T19:03:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/srilanka.factcrescendo.com\/english\/?p=6627"},"modified":"2023-04-25T06:21:32","modified_gmt":"2023-04-25T06:21:32","slug":"this-is-not-damitha-abeyaratne-extending-avurudu-wishes-to-mahinda-rajapaksa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/srilanka.factcrescendo.com\/english\/this-is-not-damitha-abeyaratne-extending-avurudu-wishes-to-mahinda-rajapaksa\/","title":{"rendered":"This is NOT Damitha Abeyaratne Extending Avurudu Wishes to Mahinda Rajapaksa!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u0daf\u0dd2\u0db1\u0db4\u0dad\u0dcf \u0dc3\u0dad\u0dca\u200d\u0dba \u0d9a\u0dbb\u0dd4\u0dab\u0dd4<\/strong> \u0daf\u0dd0\u0db1 \u0d9c\u0dd0\u0db1\u0dd3\u0db8\u0da7 \u0d85\u0db4\u0d9c\u0dda WhatsApp \u0dc3\u0db8\u0dd4\u0dc4\u0dba\u0da7\u0db8\u0dd9\u0dad\u0db1\u0dd2\u0db1\u0dca<\/a> \u0d91\u0d9a\u0dad\u0dd4\u0dc0\u0db1\u0dca\u0db1.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On many occasions, photos of individuals with similar appearances are used to mislead social media users and portray misleading interpretations. Recently we came across a similar instance when an unrelated photograph was attributed to actress Damitha Abeyratne.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s look at the claim first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

claiming that she had visited former President Mahinda Rajapaksa to extend new year wishes<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Social Media Posts:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

A photograph of a woman greeting former president Mahinda Rajapaksa for Avurudu went viral among WhatsApp users claiming that the lady was actress Damitha Abeyratne, one of the prominent activists during the “GotaGoGama” and protests last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

That photo was also circulated among Facebook users with the same narrative as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Facebook<\/a> | Archived Link<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even some websites published this photo claiming to be scenes of Damitha visiting Mahinda Rajapaksa for New Year greetings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Archived<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact Check :<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Upon careful observation, one can clearly see that the lady seen in the above photograph is not actress Damitha Abeyratne. However, due to the viral nature of the claims, we took a few steps to investigate the photo further and to find out facts about its background.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accordingly, we found that this photo was taken from a photo album that included the scene of people who came to visit and greet Mahinda Rajapaksa during Sinhala & Tamil New Year at his residence. The<\/a> viral photo is found in the album, as seen below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The full album can be reached here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since Presidential Legal Director, Supreme Court Attorney-at-Law Manoj Gamage is seen in the photo\u2019s background, we contacted him to find more information. Manoj confirmed that the woman seen in the viral photograph is not Damitha Abeyratne.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We also contacted Mahinda Rajapaksa’s official photographer, who clarified that he had captured this photo and that the lady seen in the picture was not Damitha Abeyratne but a lawyer. He also confirmed that actress Damitha did not grace the occasion to greet the former president.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Responding to our query, actress Damitha also confirmed that she had not visited Mr. Rajapaksa\u2019s premises and greeted him as claimed during the New Year. However, she stated that it\u2019s clearly visible that the woman in the photo is someone else. Despite that, certain parties with ulterior motives and different agendas deliberately share this picture with a false narrative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read our investigation in Sinhala here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Follow us and stay up to date with our latest fact checks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Facebook<\/a> | <\/strong>Twitter<\/a> | <\/strong>Instagram<\/a> | <\/strong>Google News<\/a> | <\/strong>TikTok<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Our investigation shows that the viral photo does not show actress Damitha but displays a different woman who had come to greet Mahinda Rajapaksa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The official photographer of Mahinda Rajapaksa, who snapped the photo, and Mr. Manoj Gamage, the Presidential Legal Director seen in the background of that photo, confirm that the woman seen in the viral photo is not Damitha Abeyratne.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t