AFP Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan health experts stress there is no evidence that cannabis boosts immunity against the novel coronavirus

Published on 20 February 2020 at 03:35

A YouTube video of a doctor discussing the health benefits of cannabis has been viewed thousands of times among Sri Lankan Facebook users alongside a claim that cannabis can boost a person's immunity to the novel coronavirus. The claim is misleading; medical experts have emphasised there is no evidence to suggest that cannabis improves immunity against the virus and have urged the public to follow official government health guidelines.

Sri Lankan authorities say there are no plans to turn the historic Ehelepola Walawwa mansion into a school

Published on 17 February 2020 at 06:45

Multiple Facebook posts shared thousands of times in Sri Lanka have called on people to protest against purported plans to convert a Sri Lankan historical structure into a Muslim school. The claim is misleading; the Sri Lankan Archeology Department said on February 12, 2020, that while the site is currently undergoing renovations, there were no plans to repurpose the building as a Muslim school; the image in the misleading posts actually shows a church, not the historical structure in cited in the caption.

Sri Lanka's Presidential Office dismisses 'baseless' claim it is investigating 'theft of state-owned bus'

Published on 11 February 2020 at 06:15

Multiple Facebook posts shared in Sri Lanka claim President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has ordered an investigation into the whereabouts of state-owned goods, including a bus and “other priceless, high technological equipment”, after they allegedly went missing from the President’s Media Division office during the previous administration. The claim is misleading; the Sri Lankan President’s Media Division told AFP that the rumour about the missing property was "baseless" and no such investigation had been ordered.

This image was taken in December 2010 at an event staged by the Sri Lankan Army

Published on 10 February 2020 at 07:00

A photo of a Sri Lankan soldier collapsing has been shared thousands of times in multiple posts on Facebook and Twitter alongside a claim it shows an incident at Sri Lankan Independence Day celebrations on February 4, 2020. The claim is misleading; the photo was taken in December 2010 at a Sri Lankan military event.

The Burj Khalifa displayed the Sri Lankan flag following the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings

Published on 7 February 2020 at 07:45

A photo of the Burj Khalifa lit up in the colours of the Sri Lankan flag has been shared hundreds of times in multiple Facebook posts alongside claims that flag was displayed to commemorate Sri Lanka’s 72nd Independence Day in February 2020. This claim is misleading; the photo actually shows the Sri Lankan flag projected on Dubai's iconic skyscraper in April 2019. The flag was displayed following the Easter Sunday bombings in Colombo on April 21, 2019.

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