Claim: The Postal Department of Sri Lanka issued two stamps with the faces of Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya and Minister Vijitha Herath in celebration of World Postal Day for public distribution.
Fact: The claim is misleading. The stamps with the faces of Amarasuriya and Herath were presented to each of them by the Postal Department as exclusive, personalised souvenirs. These stamps were not issued for public distribution.
Two images showing Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya and Minister Vijitha Herath, receiving postal stamps carrying their faces, are going viral on social media. Those sharing the images are claiming that the postal department issued stamps featuring the two ministers in celebration of the 150th World Postal Day.
Many mainstream news reports and social media posts highlighted this news and the images noting that this year, unlike other years when commemorative stamps would have “more meaningful” messages, had politicians’ faces on the stamps. A few such news reports are here, here, and here.
Newschecker also came across this claim widely on Facebook. A few examples can be found here, here, and here.
Newschecker decided to check the authenticity of the viral claim since the World Postal Day celebrations in Sri Lanka have always included stamps honouring the country’s history and culture, and not that of politicians.
Fact Check/Verification
Newschecker team first checked the Prime Minister’s official website and found that on October 9, 2024, a special event was organised by the Postal Department of Sri Lanka in celebration of the 150th World Postal Day, which was attended by Prime Minister Amarasuriya and Minister Herath. More details about the event can be viewed here.
Newschecker then did a keyword search of the words ‘President’, ‘World Postal Day’, ‘Harini Amarasuriya’, and ‘Vijitha Herath’ both in Sinhala and English. We then came across a statement issued by the Postal Department of Sri Lanka that clarified that the viral claims were untrue.
The statement mentions that the stamps with the faces of Amarasuriya and Herath are exclusive personalised stamps that were gifted to them as souvenirs at the event. They further specify that any citizen of Sri Lanka can personalise any image they like on a stamp via the Philatelic Bureau, the division of the Postal Department which is in charge of issuing stamps. The Philatelic Bureau website clearly states that this is a service that is provided to all interested:
The Newschecker team reached out to stamps expert Niroshana Peiris of ‘Reading Stamps’, a philately community, who had put up a public Facebook post on the matter.
“How many people know that these are not commemorative stamps, but just sheets of stamps designed as keepsakes, and can be made for anyone [by the Philatelic Bureau]? Stamps in Sri Lanka are classified as commemorative/special stamps and definitive stamps, and the above-mentioned stamp is a personalised stamp souvenir sheet with a QR code called “Obe Ruvata Muddarayak” (A Stamp of Your Face)… We should be concerned with identifying the high trends of spreading misinformation or disinformation to reduce prejudice in society caused by such news,” he said.
Conclusion
The claim that stamps with the faces of Amarasuriya and Herath were issued for public distribution and use on the 150th World Postal Day is misleading. The stamp sheets with the faces of Amarasuriya and Herath were presented to each of them by the Postal Department as exclusive, personalised souvenirs. They are not for public distribution.
Result: Missing Context
Our Sources
News report on News19 LK, dated October 9, 2024
News report on Daily Mirror LK, dated October 9, 2024
News report on Hiru News LK, dated October 9, 2024
Announcement on the Prime Minister’s Office website, dated October 9, 2024
Statement issued by the Postal Department, dated October 10, 2024
The website of the Philatelic Bureau of Sri Lanka
A Facebook post by Niroshana Peiris of Reading Stamps, dated October 10, 2024
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