Prime Minister on Rajapaksa-era exports: right on decline, not on details

In the above statement, the prime minister is making a negative attribution to Mahinda Rajapaksa’s presidency by citing a fall in export share of GDP by 12 percentage points, from 30% to 18%.

Minister Eran Wickramaratne right on govt. borrowing, for two years, not four

On 19 June 2019, the Daily FT newspaper quoted the state minister of finance making the above statement in Parliament. Since the statement does not specify a time period for this claim, FactCheck evaluated it for each year since the change in government in January 2015. The claim can be assessed b

Sisira Jayakody: Invents claim on dual citizenship of MPs

FactCheck investigated the MP’s claim in three ways: through (1) information in the public domain; (2) directly requesting MP Jayakody for his source of information; and (3) publicly inviting verification of this claim on

President shines light on CEB and CPC losses

On 4 June 2019, Divaina reported President Maithripala Sirisena making the following claim: The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) and Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) incur losses in the tens of millions [of rupees] per day.

Minister Bandara right on number of deaths due to drowning

On 15 May 2019, Dinamina reported Minister Ranjith Madduma Bandara making the following statement: Deaths reported as being due to drowning are about 800 annually.

MP Herath misrepresents total interest payments

On 28 May 2019, Divaina reported that MP Vijitha Herath made the following claim:

Minister Eran Wickramaratne correct on tourism earnings

On 22 May 2019, Dinamina reported State Minister of Finance Eran Wickramaratne making the following statement. Sri Lanka’s tourism sector accounts for 5% of gr

Udaya Gammanpila: right on imprisonment, not quite right on costs

On 02 April 2019, Lankadeepa reported that MP Udaya Gammanpila made the following claims in parliament:

Minister of finance mostly correct on macroeconomic indicators

Minister of Finance Mangala Samaraweera made the following claims: Foreign reserves were $7.6 billion, equal to four months of imports;

Gets number right but percentage wrong on release of state-owned land

To assess this claim, we consulted information published by the Secretariat for Coordinating Reconciliation Mechanisms (SCRM). Exhibit 1 shows that 63,258 acres of state-owned land had been released as at 12 March 2019, as the minister stated.

President overstates share of women in the public sector

On 28 March 2019, Dinamina reported President Maithripala Sirisena making the following:

Minister of health repeats misconception on Sri Lanka’s health service standings

On 04 February 2019, Mawbima quoted the following statement made by Minister of Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine Rajitha Senaratne: “Within the world healthcare system, the fact that the best health service is provided by Cuba and Sri Lanka has been accepted by the World Health Organization (WHO).” To check this claim, we consulted the WHO’s Tracking Universal Health Coverage: 2017 Global Monitoring Report. This report provides an index

Minister Thalatha Athukorale: wrong on prison population, right on prison sentences

On 10 April 2019, Dinamina reported that Minister of Justice and Prison Reforms Thalatha Athukorale made the following statement: There are close to 22,000 inmates in prisons. Of them, a large number are serving sentences that are less than two years.

Minister of tourism development right on tourism developments

On 27 March 2019, the Daily News reported Minister of Tourism Development, Wildlife and Christian Religious Affairs John Amaratunga making the following claims:

PM wrong on local law to arrest terrorists

On 26 April 2019, in an interview with SkyNews (UK), Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe made the following statement: “To take part in a foreign armed uprising is not an offence here…. there is no law to prevent you from that.” See the full statement here: http://bi

Minister Mangala Samaraweera correct on rupee appreciation

The Daily Mirror Features Editor accepts the best Investigative Reporter of the Year Award on behalf of Kamanthi Wickramasinghe, who won the award at the Inaugural Presidential Media Awards held at the BMICH yesterday.

President Sirisena on poverty: data outdated

In his speech delivered at the 71st Independence Day celebration on 4 February 2019, President Maithripala Sirisena made the following statement: The absolute poverty ratio of the country has been reported as 6.7%... (For the speech, please see: http://bit.do/MS-poverty. )

MP Harshana Rajakaruna: right about MPs who have not spoken in parliament

On 3 March 2019, Silumina reported that a journalist told MP Harshana Rajakaruna that 13 MPs did not speak a single word in parliament in 2018 and asked him for an explanation. In response, MP Rajakaruna stated, “As a whole, 95% of MPs have spoken [in parliament in 2018]. It is only 5% who haven’t spoken.”

MP Mahinda Rajapaksa miscalculates the increase in debt

On 12 January 2019, The Island newspaper quoted the following statement made by MP Mahinda Rajapaksa:

Minister of Health overestimates impact of tax policy

On 20 February 2019, the Daily News quoted Minister of Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine Rajitha Senaratne as saying the following: “We have…imposed a 90% tax on tobacco in an attempt to reduce tobacco usage.”

Right about the economic contribution of tea and rubber

The Mawbima newspaper, on 4th February 2019, quoted the following statement made by MP Nalinda Jayathissa: the tea industry adds $1.5 billion to the economy of this country and the rubber industry adds $0.8 billion.

‘Verite misrepresented my remarks’ Minister Sagala Ratnayaka

With reference to Factcheck headlined “Minister Sagala Ratnayaka exaggerates budget allocation for health and education” appeared on February 28, Ports and Shipping and Southern Development Mini

Minister Sagala Ratnayaka exaggerates budget allocation for health and education

On February 4, 2019, Mawbima reported that Minister of Ports and Shipping and Southern Development Sagala Ratnayaka made the following statement: Last year the allocation for the education and health sectors in the country made up 25% of the total budget.

MP Dissanayake right on poverty of estate workers

On 25 January 2019, The Daily News reported the following statement made by MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake: “They [estate workers] spend 50 percent of their earnings on food.”

Response to the Presidential Secretariat’s reply

FactCheck thanks President’s Advisor Shiral Lakthilaka for his reply to the factchecking of President’s statement: “Around 16 or 17 percent of Sri Lankans are undernourished“. FactCheck agrees with Mr. Lakthilaka’s clarification that definitions of undernourishment can vary (see original article: factcheck.lk). However, the only relevant data that FactCheck found, for the whole population, was that publishe

MP Gunawardena’s accusation of a fellow MP is at odds with the factual record

Relevant Hansard extracts (see Exhibits 1 and 2) show that MP Gunawardena was wrong on two counts – on the report and on the language of translation.

MP Mahinda Rajapaksa: Twice ‘FALSE’ on GDP growth

In the nine years I was in power, I increased the GDP per capita of this country by a multiple of three. In that period, the economic growth rate was 7.4%.

President overstates undernourishment

Anura Priyadarshana Yapa: Not quite correct on mobile phone taxes

On 26 October 2018, the Divaina reported MP Anura Priyadarshana Yapa making the following claim.When a mobile phone user in our country pays Rs. 5,000 [as the mobile phone bill], Rs. 1,600 of it goes towards paying taxes.

Sunil Handunnetti: Quoted correctly, Interpreted wrong