Digitally altered image of Sri Lanka's Dissanayake passed off as US promotional campaign

This article is more than one year old.
Published on November 23, 2023 at 02:20
3 min read
By AFP Sri Lanka

A US mobile billboard company denied that they took part in a promotional campaign for Sri Lankan opposition party leader Anura Dissanayake, contrary to a doctored photo shared on Facebook that appears to show a truck bearing his image. The original photo shows an advertisement for an insurance company, not for Dissanayake's campaign.

The doctored image shows a truck emblazoned with the face of Anura Dissanayake, a leading contender in Sri Lanka's 2024 presidential election.

Dissanayake -- who heads the leftist People's Liberation Party (JVP) and National People's Power (NPP) alliance -- has promised to eradicate corruption in the island nation hit by a crippling economic crisis that the Supreme Court has blamed on the powerful Rajapaksa brothers.

Sinhala text next to the image says: "Anura is coming to Boston / November 1. I will be going, why don't you join us?"

It invites people to "share" their problems with the politician at the Worcester State University in Massachusetts (archived link).

A Facebook post that shared the picture on October 31 said it showed the JVP's "super publicity machinery in the USA."

Screenshot of the false post captured on November 9, 2023

The altered picture was shared in similar Facebook posts here and here.

"Excellent! We've got the best team," one comment read. "We will rally supporters from all over the world including USA and victory is ours in 2024."

Another Facebook user, referring to Dissanayake's initials, wrote: "AKD and his party are quick to criticise other politicos and their publicity splurges but they are the same".

While Dissanayake genuinely held an event at the Worcester University on November 1, the original photo of the truck shows an advertisement for an insurance firm, not a political campaign.

Insurance firm advertisement

A reverse image search on Google found the picture of Dissanayake seen on the truck on the website of a promotional company called Allevents (archived link).

The original poster for Dissanayake's event published by Allevents

Another reverse image search on Google found the picture of the truck onto which the picture of Dissanayake was digitally added.

It was published by a Boston-based mobile billboard company called Traffic Displays (archived link).

The truck features an advertisement for an insurance firm called Plymouth Rock, which is based in Boston, Massachusetts.

Screenshot of the Traffic Displays web page captured on November 9, 2023

Below is a screenshot comparison of the altered image (left) and the original photo of the truck published on Traffic Displays' website (right):

Screenshot comparison of the image shared in misleading posts (left) and the photo published on Traffic Displays' website.

A representative for Traffic Displays confirmed to AFP that the image shared on Facebook was digitally altered.

"We have not undertaken to implement any campaigns for the mentioned political parties," a spokesperson told AFP via email on November 10.

Dissanayake denial

The spokesperson for Dissanayake's National People’s Power said the party did not conduct the branding campaign seen in the doctored image.

"Comrade Dissanayake visited the USA and as part of a series of public lectures and meetings, he held a meeting in Boston on November 1 as well," NPP spokesman Upul Ranja told AFP on November 7.

"However, we nor the organizers on the ground implemented such a branding campaign. This is a doctored, false image."

The NPP held several public meetings for Sri Lankans in US cities including Los Angeles, Houston, Boston, Virginia Beach, Washington DC and New York between October 28 and November 5 (archived link).

AFP has previously debunked false claims related to Sri Lanka's opposition party NPP here and here (archived links here and here).

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