Old video of Sri Lankan opposition politician in tears falsely linked to his son's arrest
- Published on July 30, 2026 at 06:07
- 2 min read
- By Harshana SILVA, AFP Sri Lanka
After Sri Lankan politician Shantha Bandara's son was arrested in connection with a multimillion-rupee robbery in July 2026, posts falsely claimed an old video of the former state minister fighting back tears showed him reacting to the news. The footage was previously broadcast in April 2022, and in fact shows Bandara telling the media about a protest outside his home and how it impacted his family.
The video showing Sri Lankan politician Shantha Bandara holding back tears as he speaks to the media was viewed more than a million times after being shared on Facebook on July 22, 2026 (archived link).
"Former Pohottuwa state minister Shantha Bandara got emotional after his son was arrested by the police for stealing 20 million from a Chinese national," says its Sinhala-language caption, using a nickname for former president Mahinda Rajapaksa's Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) party (archived link).
The SLPP was Sri Lanka's ruling party from 2019 until 2022, during which Bandara held the titles of State Minister for Mass Media and State Minister of Promoting the Production of Organic Fertiliser and Advanced Technology Agriculture (archived here and here).
The clip was also shared in similar Facebook posts after Bandara's son, Anuda Janadith Bandara, was arrested in connection with the alleged robbery of 20 million rupees (US$60,000) belonging to a Chinese national (archived link).
Bandara's son and four other suspects were later released on bail of 500,000 rupees each and given a travel ban preventing them from leaving the country (archived link).
Speaking outside the court, Bandara told reporters that he had full confidence in Sri Lanka’s legal system (archived link).
The video circulating on social media, however, does not show these remarks.
A combination of reverse image and keyword searches on Google found the same footage has been circulating in news reports since at least April 2022.
A longer video was shared on Facebook by local broadcaster Live at Sri Lanka on April 16, 2022 (archived link).
Its Sinhala-language caption says: "Protesters came to me and apologised once they sobered up, says tearful Shantha Bandara at a press conference."
In the video, Bandara says drunk opposition party supporters protested outside his home (archived here and here). He choked back tears as he recalled that his daughter had been unable to eat during the demonstration (archived link).
Local media reported that protesters had surrounded his house to "voice displeasure over his decision to accept a ministerial portfolio from the current government" (archived link).
Sri Lanka was, at the time, in the grip of a crippling economic crisis with weeks of power blackouts and severe shortages of food, fuel and life-saving medicine (archived link). Protesters had taken to the streets in their thousands to call for the removal of the Rajapaksa government.
AFP has previously debunked other misinformation targeting Sri Lankan opposition politicians.
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