{"id":58050,"date":"2026-04-02T06:14:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T10:14:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/old-video-misrepresented-as-senior-sri-lankan-ruling-party-member-criticising-president-over-fuel-shortage\/02\/04\/2026\/"},"modified":"2026-04-02T06:14:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T10:14:10","slug":"old-video-misrepresented-as-senior-sri-lankan-ruling-party-member-criticising-president-over-fuel-shortage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/old-video-misrepresented-as-senior-sri-lankan-ruling-party-member-criticising-president-over-fuel-shortage\/02\/04\/2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Old video misrepresented as senior Sri Lankan ruling party member criticising president over fuel shortage"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\n<\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><span>After Sri La<\/span>nka&#8217;s President Anura Kumara Dissanayake held a press conference in March 2026 on the country&#8217;s energy shortage caused by the Middle East war, an old video circulated in social media posts falsely claiming it showed his party&#8217;s secretary Tilvin Silva criticising his response to the crisis. The clip is from 2020 and shows Silva slamming Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the president at the time, over his government&#8217;s Covid response.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;Anura is a lunatic &#8212; Tilvin Silva,&#8221; reads a Sinhala-language Facebook <a href=\"https:\/\/perma.cc\/77BM-NL5A\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:post;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;post&quot;}\" class=\"link \">post<\/a> shared on March 18.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The attached video shows the ruling <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jvpsrilanka.com\/english\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna's;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna'&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna&#8217;s<\/a> (JVP) party secretary <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/mtilvinsilva\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Tilvin Silva;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Tilvin Silva&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Tilvin Silva<\/a> saying, &#8220;We saw the president addressing the nation last night. We were told he would speak at eight, but he couldn&#8217;t even manage to address us until around 8:45.&#8221; (archived <a href=\"https:\/\/perma.cc\/UY23-TFB9\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:here;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;here&quot;}\" class=\"link \">here<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20260330061854\/https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/mtilvinsilva\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:here;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;here&quot;}\" class=\"link \">here<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Text overlaid on the video reads: &#8220;Anura&#8217;s address to the nation is irresponsible.&#8221;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-0 size-full\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-3 right-3 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 top-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p><span>Screenshot of the false Facebook post captured on April 2, 2026, with a red X added by AFP<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><span>The posts <\/span>spread a day after Dissanayake held a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=3Qkhwa0Xmw4&amp;t=99s\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:special;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;special&quot;}\" class=\"link \">special<\/a> press <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thestar.com.my\/aseanplus\/aseanplus-news\/2026\/03\/18\/sri-lanka-asks-electric-vehicle-owners-to-unplug-at-night\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:conference;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;conference&quot;}\" class=\"link \">conference<\/a> where he said Sri Lanka was unable to secure two shipments of 90,000 tonnes of crude oil due to the Middle East war, but was in talks with &#8220;friendly states&#8221; including neighbouring India and Russia to purchase refined products (archived\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/perma.cc\/BR9X-H4B3\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:here;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;here&quot;}\" class=\"link \">here<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/perma.cc\/KJ9P-EPKD\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:here;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;here&quot;}\" class=\"link \">here<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Faced with an energy crisis, Sri Lanka has begun rationing fuel and imposed a four-day working week in a bid to conserve fuel.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Dissanayake has also urged electric vehicle owners to stop charging their cars at night and take advantage of the abundant electricity generated from solar power during the day instead, as the surge in demand forces the country to burn more coal and diesel to keep the power grid running.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Similar claims were shared <a href=\"https:\/\/perma.cc\/MJG7-UUP8\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:elsewhere;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;elsewhere&quot;}\" class=\"link \">elsewhere<\/a> on <a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20260331034700\/https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/reel\/2029805227934395\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Facebook;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Facebook&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Facebook<\/a>, but the video is actually from 2020 &#8212; before the JVP-led coalition came into power &#8212; and it shows Silva criticising former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa&#8217;s response to the Covid pandemic at the time.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">A\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=linGPlWGcDw\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:reverse image search;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;reverse image search&quot;}\" class=\"link \">reverse image search<\/a> on Google found a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ZXJv8KYu1FI&amp;t=511s\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:video;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;video&quot;}\" class=\"link \">video<\/a> of a JVP press conference uploaded to the party&#8217;s YouTube channel on March 18, 2020, where he can be heard making the same remarks at the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/ZXJv8KYu1FI?t=236\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:3:56;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;3&quot;}\" class=\"link \">3:56<\/a> mark (<a href=\"https:\/\/perma.cc\/4APC-8F22?type=image\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:archived link;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;archived link&quot;}\" class=\"link \">archived link<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">He said the party was ready to contribute to Sri Lanka&#8217;s Covid response and criticised measures taken by Rajapaksa&#8217;s government. He did not mention Dissanayake in the video.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"&lt;span&gt;Screenshot comparison of the false Facebook post (L) and the original video posted on JVP's YouTube channel&lt;\/span&gt;\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"371\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/VBqNEijG_SZ6s73pi7ryag--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTM3MTtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/afp_factcheck_us_713\/eac06368e28f5c4d294bf0c4e5b13471\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-0 size-full\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-3 right-3 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 top-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p><span>Screenshot comparison of the false Facebook post (L) and the original video posted on JVP&#8217;s YouTube channel<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">His remarks about the president being late for his speech appear to refer to Rajapaksa&#8217;s address to the nation delivered on the previous day &#8212; which was <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/GotabayaR\/status\/1239820926549557248\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:expected;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;expected&quot;}\" class=\"link \">expected<\/a> at 8:00 pm local time (1430 GMT) but was pushed back (<a href=\"https:\/\/perma.cc\/U4PD-B8ES\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:archived link;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;archived link&quot;}\" class=\"link \">archived link<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">AFP has debunked other <a href=\"https:\/\/factcheck.afp.com\/Iran\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:misinformation;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;misinformation&quot;}\" class=\"link \">misinformation<\/a> stemming from the war in the Middle East.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/news\/articles\/old-video-misrepresented-senior-sri-092400861.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After Sri Lanka&rsquo;s President Anura Kumara Dissanayake held a press conference in March 2026 on the country&rsquo;s energy shortage caused by the<br \/><button class=\"read-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/old-video-misrepresented-as-senior-sri-lankan-ruling-party-member-criticising-president-over-fuel-shortage\/02\/04\/2026\/\">Read More &rsaquo;<\/a><\/button><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":58051,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/1GLZS1tBFODS3jcQUg3cpg--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyMDA7aD00NjQ7Y2Y9d2VicA--\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/afp_factcheck_us_713\/eac06368e28f5c4d294bf0c4e5b13471","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58050"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58050"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58050\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/58051"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58050"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58050"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58050"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}