Yesterday (2022.10.09) Mr. Udaya Gammanpila, the leader of Pivithuru Hela Urumya, submitted a complaint to the Colombo Criminal Investigation Department requesting an investigation into the people who created the list of fake names circulating on social media claiming to be the people who gave money to Thilini Priyamali. Then comments to the media.
“Yesterday, there was a list that circulated rapidly on social media saying that it was the list of politicians, businessmen and monks who gave money to Thilini Priyamali. Of course it is fake. My name was also mentioned there. When housewives ask for money, we always say we don’t have money. So, from where to give money to Thilini Priyamali, there are problems even in the houses. This is a list of fake names. Also, there are names of people like myself, MP Dayasiri Jayasekara, MP Hesha Withanage, MP Chaminda Wijesiri, who harshly criticized the government in the Parliament in the past few days. The names of those thieves who collect standard money from blocks and spend billions during the election period are not included in this list.
Social networks are used by people very irresponsibly, so there is no problem when someone creates a fake list and then shares it. Knowing this situation, we have received unofficial information that a minister and a well-known artist, who were the subject of serious discussion last week about corruption allegations, made this list together and added it to the social networks.
The hope of this fake list is to divert the social attention that has been focused on the fraud and corruption of that minister in the parliament. Because there are politicians, businessmen and monks who actually gave money to Thilini Priyamali. A list of their names is given to the police. You can ask the police spokesperson whether the people on this list are also on that list.
So people are curious because the police have such a list. Then this list has been presented with the ulterior motive of diverting society’s curiosity from real fraud and corruption by using those opportunities.
I have today written to the Criminal Investigation Department the phone numbers that have been added to this list of fake names on social media. The police have the ability to find information about who put it together in the first place through questioning them. They should be brought to justice.
Through this, I learned that there is a need for some regulation on social networks because people with ulterior motives mislead people by using social networks. But there is no need to fear anyone who expresses their true opinion. Only those who mislead people through social media should be afraid of that.”
