Bhagya Abeyrathne is a JVP/NPP sympathizer
Occurred in Sri Lanka on March 17, 2021 at 7:45 a.m.
Reported by Nishadi Gunatilake via Internet on Oct. 5, 2021 at 5:59 p.m.
Reported by Nishadi Gunatilake via Internet on Oct. 5, 2021 at 5:59 p.m.
# NPP
# environment
# JVP
This report is Confirmed false
and is of
Low Priority.
Here is why -
Bhagya Abeyrathne is a 19 year old woman who attended the "Lakshapathi" TV program, the local version of "Who wants to be a Millionaire". During the program, she was very vocal about the mass scale deforestation happening in the Sinharaja Forest Reserve located close to her home. Sinharaja has been designated a Biosphere Reserve and a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. After this program was aired, social media was buzzing with posts on Bhagya, some praising her, some attacking her. Gendered hate speech against her was also common. This particular post had used a picture of three young women who were holding a picture of the JVP/NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayaka and had claimed that the woman in the left-hand corner is Bhagya, in an attempt to associate her with the JVP/NPP. An external fact checker has confirmed that Bhagya is not there in the picture. Read the fact check here (Sinhala): https://srilanka.factcrescendo.com/2021/03/31/fake-posts-and-edits-targeting-bhagya/. Attempts at implying that any person who is outspoken about social issues is a JVP/NPP sympathizer are pretty common in Sri Lanka.
Resolution added by - Nishadi Gunatilake