Claim: Video footage of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake travelling from Colombo to Jaffna in a fleet of three helicopters on 31 January 2025.
Fact: This is false. The President traveled to Jaffna in a motor vehicle and no helicopters were used on this visit.
On January 31 President Anura Kumara Dissanayake visited Jaffna to attend several events as part of the Jaffna District Coordinating Committee meeting.
Soon after this announcement, a video went viral on social media platforms claiming that the President used three state-owned helicopters for his trip to Jaffna. Sharing this video, one social media user said in Sinhala, “looks like he will have to jump down!” making fun of the distance between the three helicopters (which would not help in an emergency), insinuating that the President misused state resources.
Another Facebook user shared the video saying, “Here’s what the President’s visit to Jaffna looked like…He said that [other politicians] use three helicopters to jump from one to the other and die, and fooled you all!”
These claims were mainly found on Facebook and TikTok. Few users also claimed that these were helicopters belonging to the Sri Lanka Air Force.
Facebook posts can be found here, here, here, here, and here. TikToks can be found here, here, and here.
Fact check/Verification
Newschecker team began by conducting a reverse image search of the keyframes of the viral video on various search engines including Google, Bing, and TinEye but could not find anything relevant.
We then looked for the information regarding the mode of transportation used by the President during his visit. A Facebook video on his official account showed him waving to citizens along the roads, with the caption “Love from Jaffna” (loosely translated from Sinhala).
News reports on mainstream reliable outlets also show him travelling by a motor vehicle, although the exact vehicle type cannot be deciphered.
Posting a statement in Facebook on February 2, the Ministry of Defence clarified that the claims about the President flying to Jaffna in a fleet of helicopters were false and that the President had used state-provided official vehicles for this trip.
“The Sri Lanka Air Force would like to confirm that no aircraft belonging to the force was used for this visit. [The President] travelled using his motor vehicle provided by the state for him for his personal use. The Ministry of Defense vehemently denies that aircraft was used in any way during this visit [to Jaffna],” the letter further read in Sinhala.
The letter is signed by M.B.B.N. Herath RSP, Colonel who is the current media spokesperson of the Ministry of Defence.
Aviation Voice, the official Facebook account of the Sri Lanka Air Force also posted a clarification on this matter. It says, “No Air Travel: President Took Road Route to Jaffna.”
Conclusion
The video circulating on social media claiming that President Anura Kumara Dissanayake travelled from Colombo to Jaffna in a fleet of three helicopters on 31 January 2025 is false. He used a motor vehicle.
Result: False
Our sources
Press release from the President’s Media Division about the President’s Visit to Jaffna, President’s Media Division website, published on January 31, 2025
Video of the visit on the President’s official Facebook account, posted on January 31, 2025
Video of the visit on KS Shankar YouTube channel, posted on January 31, 2025
Video of the visit on VoiceTube YouTube channel, posted on January 31, 2025
Clarification of the mode of transport used by the President on this visit, Facebook account of the Ministry of Defense, issued on February 2, 2025
Clarification of the mode of transport used by the President on this visit, Facebook account of the Sri Lanka Air Force, posted on February 3, 2025
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