Claim: Video showing President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s mother being taken to a Lanka Hospitals branch in Colombo 5 by helicopter.
Fact: The video actually shows a drill conducted by the Sri Lanka Air Force.
A video has recently been circulating across social media platforms, claiming to show a state-owned helicopter being used to move President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s mother from a hospital in Anuradhapura to a private hospital owned by Lanka Hospitals PVT LTD in Colombo 5. Dissanayake’s mother was reportedly receiving treatment at the state hospital in Anuradhapura last month.
One TikTok user named @shani4ub shared the purported video footage of a helicopter flying near the Lanka Hospitals building, with the text in Sinhala saying, “A helicopter brings Anura’s mother to Lanka Hospitals in Colombo; Looks like Anura is just pretending not to like what the Rajapaksas used to do.” The TikTok post further insinuates that the President does not stick to the values he endorses and is as corrupt as the members of the previous Rajapaksa regime, who allegedly used to spend state funds on private, expensive healthcare.
The Newschecker team found similar claims questioning the President’s actions on Facebook and TikTok. More posts can be found here, here, and here.
Fact Check/Verification
Through reverse image searches of multiple frames in the video, Newschecker was able to find the original footage on the official Facebook and YouTube accounts of the Fire and Rescue Team of the Sri Lanka Air Force, posted on December 16, 2024. The Facebook video can be found here, with an archived link here. The YouTube short is below:
The caption of the video states, “The Sri Lanka Air Force Fire and Rescue Team achieved a groundbreaking milestone by conducting the nation’s first High-Rise Building Rescue Heliborne Operation Training at Lanka Hospital, Narahenpita. This specialized training, meticulously executed by our skilled team, showcased cutting-edge techniques in aerial firefighting and rescue operations, emphasizing our commitment to excellence and readiness to respond to complex emergencies.”
The drill was conducted at the Lanka Hospitals branch in Narahenpita/Colombo 5 on how to help patients in case of a fire. The same incident was filmed by bystanders from other angles, including this video posted on Facebook on December 17, 2024. Archived link here.
Moreover, Newschecker noticed that the viral videos do not show a single passenger or patient getting off the helicopter upon landing. It only shows the Air Force officers conducting the drill. We also came across a news report, seen here, on the exercise.
On the website of the Sri Lanka Air Force, a report on the drill was uploaded on December 16, 2024, specifying more details:
It says, “The emergency drill was conducted under the guidance of the Director General Air Operations, Air Vice Marshal Lasitha Sumanaweera. The exercise was supervised by the Chief Fire Officer of the SLAF, Group Captain Hemantha Balasooriya, along with the Commanding Officer of No. 4 Squadron, SLAF Base Ratmalana, Group Captain ABR Wijewardena and the Commanding Officer of the Fire School and Fire Tender Maintenance Squadron, SLAF Base Katunayake, Wing Commander Chamil Hettiarachchi.”
We also reached out to the Sri Lanka Air Force Fire and Rescue Service regarding the viral video and will update the copy once we receive a response.
Conclusion
Video of Sri Lankan Air Force Fire and Rescue Service drill went viral with the false claim that President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s mother was being taken to Lanka Hospitals in Colombo 5 by helicopter.
Result: False
Our Sources
News article on President Anura Kumara Dissanayake visiting his mother at the hospital in Anuradhapura, DailyMirror LK, published on December 23, 2024
Facebook post by the Fire and Rescue Team of the Sri Lanka Air Force, posted on December 16, 2024
YouTube short by the Fire and Rescue Team of the Sri Lanka Air Force, posted on December 16, 2024
Article on the Sri Lanka Air Force Fire and Rescue Team Drill at Lanka Hospitals, the official website of the Sri Lanka Air Force, posted on December 16, 2024
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