copenlu/druid huggingface dataset:
Claim: US Military Bases Around China! (Map) (Social Media Users, 2023-02-05)
Evidence (2023-06-26): "What's missing here is a lot more information about where these specific locations or farmland purchases are located in close proximity to the military base," said Craig Singleton, China program deputy director and senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. He said one big fear is that Chinese telecommunications equipment could be used to disrupt U.S. military communications. [...] Still, lawmakers from both parties want to limit purchases by Chinese companies, especially those with ties to the Chinese government, and individuals. To this end, there are several bills in Congress aimed at limiting Chinese ownership. Separately, the Biden administration is tightening its rules over who can buy land near military bases. Which brings us back to the land purchased near the airbase in North Dakota. That land was bought by Fufeng Group, a Chinese chemical manufacturing company, which is currently being fined by USDA for late filing and disclosure.
Claim: US Military Bases Around China! (Map) (Social Media Users, 2023-02-05)
Evidence (2018-01-29): Other researchers soon followed up with a dizzying array of international examples, based on cross-referencing Strava user activity with Google Maps and prior news reporting: a French military base in Niger, an Italian military base in Djibouti, and even CIA "black" sites. Several experts observed that the Strava heatmap seemed best at revealing the presence of mostly Western military and civilian operations in developing countries. Many locations of military and intelligence agency bases pointed out by researchers and journalists had already been previously revealed through other public sources. But the bigger worry from an operations security standpoint was how Strava’s activity data could be used to identify interesting individuals, and track them to other sensitive or secretive locations. Paul Dietrich, a researcher and activist, claimed to have used public data scraped from Strava’s website to track a French soldier from overseas deployment all the way back home. [...] Strava’s data could even be used to follow individuals of interest as they rotated among military bases or intelligence community locations, according to Jeffrey Lewis, director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Program in the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, California. In a sobering Daily Beast article, Lewis laid out a scenario by which Chinese analysts could track a Taiwanese soldier based on his activities at a known missile base and thereby discover other previously unknown missile bases as the soldier’s duties required him to rotate through those bases.
Claim: US Military Bases Around China! (Map) (Social Media Users, 2023-02-05)
Evidence (2024-01-01): US Army Garrison Yongsan Base Guide [...] US Army Garrison Daegu Base Guide [...] California - Beale Air Force Base - China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station - Coast Guard Training Center Petaluma - Edwards Air Force Base - Fort Irwin - Los Angeles Air Force Base - March Air Reserve Base - Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center - Twentynine Palms - Marine Corps Air Station Miramar - Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton - Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego - Naval Air Station Lemoore - Naval Air Station North Island - Naval Amphibious Base Coronado - Naval Base Coronado - Naval Base Point Loma - Naval Base San Diego - Naval Base Ventura County - Naval Postgraduate School - Presidio of Monterey - San Diego Military Bases - Travis Air Force Base - US Coast Guard Station San Diego - Vandenberg Air Force Base -
Claim: US Military Bases Around China! (Map) (Social Media Users, 2023-02-05)
Evidence (2016-08-03): For more information on U.S. military bases in Okinawa, please visit Base-related Data on Okinawa Prefectural Government Washington, D.C. Office homepage. You can browse Historic background of U.S. military bases in Okinawa, Issues stemming from U.S. military bases, U.S. bases and Okinawan economy etc. [...] Professor David Vine's Base Nation website for his book of the same name features several resources, including comprehensive maps of U.S. military bases around the world, including those in Japan and Okinawa. (Professor Vine is a faculty member of Department of Anthropology, American University.)
Claim: US Military Bases Around China! (Map) (Social Media Users, 2023-02-05)
Evidence (2024-07-24): China’s ability to buy US land near military bases just got more restricted [...] In September 2012, for instance, then President Barack Obama used CFIUS authorities to issue a divestment order against a Chinese company that had invested in a wind farm near a US naval base in Oregon used for weapons testing and training. CFIUS was able to intervene because the Chinese company had invested in a US business. This case helped to make these kinds of collocational risks clear to US lawmakers, but before FIRRMA, there were no federal government authorities to block the sale or lease of land to foreign nationals near sensitive government sites. FIRRMA closed that regulatory gap. [...] This is the second time that the list of sensitive sites has been updated. The first update was made in August 2023 after a controversial proposed greenfield investment by a Chinese firm of North Dakota farmland located about twelve miles from a military site was found to be outside the scope of CFIUS’s original jurisdiction. The newly proposed rules come shortly after the Biden administration issued an executive order in May requiring a Chinese firm to divest its holdings in a crypto mining operation in Wyoming located within a mile of Warren Air Force Base. This was the first use of CFIUS’s real estate authorities to formally block a transaction that was structured as a real estate purchase and subsequent greenfield investment.
Claim: US Military Bases Around China! (Map) (Social Media Users, 2023-02-05)
Evidence (2024-03-04): The breakthrough at Camp David last August sent a clear message to China, as did the Philippine decision earlier in the year to grant visiting U.S. forces greater access to bases in strategic locations. [...] A Newsweek graphic that tracks 21 publicly announced events in 2024 shows the U.S. military maintaining a constant presence in the Western Pacific, including in the seas and airspace on China's periphery. [...] Beijing has in recent years pushed back on the U.S.'s extensive military presence off its shores. Air Force flights and Navy operations in nearby seas have been met by dangerous intercepts, the U.S. Defense Department said last year.
Claim: US Military Bases Around China! (Map) (Social Media Users, 2023-02-05)
Evidence (2024-10-01): U.S. air bases. From a handful of conventionally armed ballistic missiles in 1996, China's inventory now numbers roughly 1,400 ballistic missiles and hundreds of cruise missiles. Although most are short-range systems, they include a growing number of intermediate-range ballistic missiles that can reach U.S. bases in Japan. Importantly, accuracy has also improved. Circular error probabilities have decreased from hundreds of meters in the 1990s to as little as five or ten meters today. Weapon ranges have increased from short (less than 1,000 km) to medium (1,000–3,000 km). [...] This larger and more varied inventory of precision and standoff weapons enables U.S. air forces to attack more targets and cause more damage with each attack. To assess the net impact of improvements to both U.S. offensive and Chinese defensive capabilities, we modeled attacks on the 40 Chinese air bases within unrefueled fighter range of Taiwan, and, separately, on the smaller number from which Chinese aircraft could range the Spratly Islands. Runway attack models suggest that, in 1996, U.S. air attacks could close Chinese runways for an average of eight hours. This figure had increased to between two and three days by 2010, and it remained roughly similar through 2017. In all four snapshot years, U.S. air forces could effectively close all of China's air bases opposite the Spratly Islands for the first week of operations. While ground attack represents a rare bright spot for relative U.S. performance, it is important to note that the inventory of standoff weapons is finite, and performance in a longer conflict would depend on a wider range of factors.
Claim: US Military Bases Around China! (Map) (Social Media Users, 2023-02-05)
Evidence (2024-09-19): Naval Base Point Loma [...] Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay [...] Shaw Air Force Base
Claim: US Military Bases Around China! (Map) (Social Media Users, 2023-02-05)
Evidence (2021-09-10): The US controls about 750 bases in at least 80 countries worldwide and spends more on its military than the next 10 countries combined. [...] According to David Vine, professor of political anthropology at the American University in Washington, DC, the US had around 750 bases in at least 80 countries as of July 2021. [...] South Korea hosts Camp Humphreys, the largest overseas US military base, located approximately 65km (40 miles) south of the capital Seoul.
Claim: US Military Bases Around China! (Map) (Social Media Users, 2023-02-05)
Evidence (2024-01-01): Bases Around the World Explore U.S. Military bases in multiple countries using the filters below. [...] Select any service branch bases or boot camp locations you would like to see on the map.
Claim: US Military Bases Around China! (Map) (Social Media Users, 2023-02-05)
Evidence (2018-04-14): Sensitive information about the location and staffing of military bases and spy outposts around the world has been revealed by a fitness tracking company. [...] Nathan Ruser, an analyst with the Institute for United Conflict Analysts, first noted the lapse. The heatmap "looks very pretty" he wrote, but is "not amazing for Op-Sec" – short for operational security. "US Bases are clearly identifiable and mappable." [...] Zooming in on one of the larger bases clearly reveals its internal layout, as mapped out by the tracked jogging routes of numerous soldiers. The base itself is not visible on the satellite views of commercial providers such as Google Maps or Apple’s Maps, yet it can be clearly seen through Strava.
Claim: General Kamal Gunarathna Said He Is Unaware That Retired Sri Lankan Soldiers Joining The Ukraine-Russia Conflict !! (Social Media Users, 2024-05-21)
Evidence (2024-05-21): The claim that Defence Secretary General Kamal Gunarathna stated he was unaware of retired Sri Lankan soldiers joining the Ukrainian-Russian conflict is false. Verified statements from General Gunarathna and confirmations from defence officials clarify that he has addressed and warned against such activities. The issue of retired soldiers joining the conflict is well-documented, with international media also covering the stories extensively.
Claim: General Kamal Gunarathna Said He Is Unaware That Retired Sri Lankan Soldiers Joining The Ukraine-Russia Conflict !! (Social Media Users, 2024-05-21)
Evidence (2024-05-14): Meanwhile senior figures implicated in atrocities have been promoted. The current defense secretary, retired General Kamal Gunaratne, was one of the top commanders during the final offensive. He is barred from travelling to the United States due to allegations of serious abuses.
Claim: General Kamal Gunarathna Said He Is Unaware That Retired Sri Lankan Soldiers Joining The Ukraine-Russia Conflict !! (Social Media Users, 2024-05-21)
Evidence (2024-05-30): Sri Lanka's Foreign Ministry said Thursday it is seeking the release of hundreds of its ex-soldiers fighting for Russia, as well as around a dozen prisoners of war in Ukraine. The Sri Lankan government opened an investigation earlier this month into the illegal recruitment of its citizens for the war, identifying 455 former soldiers who had gone to fight on the side of Russia. [...] At least 16 citizens of Sri Lanka fighting as mercenaries have been killed in Russia's war against Ukraine, authorities in the island nation said earlier this month.
Claim: General Kamal Gunarathna Said He Is Unaware That Retired Sri Lankan Soldiers Joining The Ukraine-Russia Conflict !! (Social Media Users, 2024-05-21)
Evidence (2021-01-28): World | 28 Jan 2021 9:30 amThe U.N. human rights chief urged states on Wednesday to impose "targeted sanctions" on former Sri Lankan military commanders, including the current army chief, linked to alleged atrocities during the last years of a 26-year civil war that ended in 2009, Reuters reports. [...] Her report, whose findings were quickly rejected as baseless by Sri Lankan authorities, named current army chief Shavendra Silva and defence secretary Kamal Gunaratne, whom it said commanded forces that battled Tamil Tigers separatist rebels.
Claim: General Kamal Gunarathna Said He Is Unaware That Retired Sri Lankan Soldiers Joining The Ukraine-Russia Conflict !! (Social Media Users, 2024-05-21)
Evidence (2024-05-15): COLOMBO: At least 16 retired Sri Lankan military personnel have been killed in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, the island nation's defence ministry said on Wednesday. The Sri Lankan mercenaries had joined the Russian and Ukrainian forces after unscrupulous foreign employment agencies misled them in the name of foreign employment, according to police. State minister for defence Premitha Bandara Tennakoon said that 16 Sri Lankan retired military personnel were killed in the Russia-Ukraine war. "That is the confirmed information we have," he said, adding that plans are being made to bring back Sri Lankans who are currently in Russia and Ukraine.
Claim: General Kamal Gunarathna Said He Is Unaware That Retired Sri Lankan Soldiers Joining The Ukraine-Russia Conflict !! (Social Media Users, 2024-05-21)
Evidence (2022-05-11): Speaking exclusively to NDTV, Sri Lanka's Secretary to the Defence Ministry General G. D. H. Kamal Gunaratne clarified that it's not a clear shoot on sight order and that the extreme step would only be used as a last resort. [...] Mr Gunaratne said investigations are ongoing to identify cases of violence and civilian casualties and "the hooligans and the murderers will be taken to task and tried in courts".
Claim: General Kamal Gunarathna Said He Is Unaware That Retired Sri Lankan Soldiers Joining The Ukraine-Russia Conflict !! (Social Media Users, 2024-05-21)
Evidence (2024-06-25): Sri Lankan Diplomats Head to Russia to Probe Retired Soldiers' Role in Ukraine War by Staff Writer 25-06-2024 | 11:24 AM COLOMBO (News 1st); A delegation of Sri Lankan officials left for Russia early this morning to investigate the involvement of retired military personnel from Sri Lanka in the Russia-Ukraine war. The delegation includes State Minister of Foreign Affairs Tharaka Balasuriya, Members of Parliament Dayasiri Jayasekara and Gamini Waleboda, Defense Secretary Retired General Kamal Gunaratne, and former Sri Lankan Ambassador to Russia Dr. Saman Weerasinghe.
Claim: General Kamal Gunarathna Said He Is Unaware That Retired Sri Lankan Soldiers Joining The Ukraine-Russia Conflict !! (Social Media Users, 2024-05-21)
Evidence (2024-05-15): COLOMBO: At least 16 retired Sri Lankan military personnel have been killed in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, the island nation's defence ministry said on Wednesday. The Sri Lankan mercenaries had joined the Russian and Ukrainian forces after unscrupulous foreign employment agencies misled them in the name of foreign employment, according to police. State Minister for Defence Premitha Bandara Tennakoon said that 16 Sri Lankan retired military personnel were killed in the Russia-Ukraine war.
Claim: General Kamal Gunarathna Said He Is Unaware That Retired Sri Lankan Soldiers Joining The Ukraine-Russia Conflict !! (Social Media Users, 2024-05-21)
Evidence (2024-05-15): Colombo, May 15 (PTI) At least 16 retired Sri Lankan military personnel have been killed in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, the island nation's defence ministry said on Wednesday. The Sri Lankan mercenaries had joined the Russian and Ukrainian forces after unscrupulous foreign employment agencies misled them in the name of foreign employment, according to police. State Minister for Defence Premitha Bandara Tennakoon said that 16 Sri Lankan retired military personnel were killed in the Russia-Ukraine war.
Claim: General Kamal Gunarathna Said He Is Unaware That Retired Sri Lankan Soldiers Joining The Ukraine-Russia Conflict !! (Social Media Users, 2024-05-21)
Evidence (2024-09-30): Retired Gen. Kamal vows never to flee the country he has given best years of his life to defend ‘Ready to face any investigation’ Former Defence Secretary Gen. Kamal Gunaratne vowed that he wouldn’t flee the country, under any circumstances.The wartime General Officer Commanding (GoC) of the 53 Division denied claims, especially on social media, that he, along with his wife, fled before the release of the Presidential Election results on Sept. 22. [...] Gunaratne retired in 2016, eight years after the conclusion of the war in 2009.
Claim: General Kamal Gunarathna Said He Is Unaware That Retired Sri Lankan Soldiers Joining The Ukraine-Russia Conflict !! (Social Media Users, 2024-05-21)
Evidence (2024-09-23): G. D. H. Kamal Gunaratne, WWV, RWP, RSP, USP is a retired Sri Lankan army general. He is the Secretary to the Ministry of Defence and the State Ministry of National Security and Disaster Management. A retired career officer of the Sri Lanka Army, Gunaratne had served as the former Commander Security Forces Headquarters - Wanni, general officer commanding (GOC), 53 Division and was a former Deputy Ambassador to Brazil.[1][2][3] He was the GOC of the 53 Division which killed the LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran at Nandikadal, Mullaitivu. [...] - ^ a b c d "General G.D.H. Kamal Gunaratne (Retd)". defence.lk. Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 18 August 2021. [...] - ^ "Defense Secretary Kamal Gunaratne elevated to rank of General". Adaderana. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
Claim: General Kamal Gunarathna Said He Is Unaware That Retired Sri Lankan Soldiers Joining The Ukraine-Russia Conflict !! (Social Media Users, 2024-05-21)
Evidence (2024-06-24): COLOMBO (News 1st); A delegation of Sri Lankan diplomats will be departing for Russia today to investigate the alleged involvement of retired military personnel from Sri Lanka in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. [...] The Ministry of Foreign Affairs clarified that there is no specific information regarding the involvement of retired Sri Lankan military personnel in the Russia-Ukraine war. [...] As a consequence, official reports on Sri Lankans who lost their lives in the war have not been available. However, according to official information received from Russia, over 450 Sri Lankans have joined the country's armed forces.
Claim: General Kamal Gunarathna Said He Is Unaware That Retired Sri Lankan Soldiers Joining The Ukraine-Russia Conflict !! (Social Media Users, 2024-05-21)
Evidence (2019-12-10): There is compelling evidence to charge Sri Lanka’s newly appointed secretary of defence, retired Major General Kamal Gunaratne, with war crimes and crimes against humanity. The South Africa based International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP) has released a 100-page dossier on the secretary of defence, focusing on his role as the 53 Division commander in the war and the Competent Authority for IDPs and commander of Joseph camp, an army camp notorious for torture after the war. This follows the ITJP’s publication earlier this year of a dossier on Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva, whose subsequent promotion to Army Commander, sparked enormous concern from the EU, US and UN[1]. [...] Gunaratne writes in his autobiography that he and Shavendra Silva received instructions on 14 May 2009 directly from then secretary of defence Gotabaya Rajapaksa to hasten the end of the war so as to avoid succumbing to US pressure to halt the fighting. Kamal Gunaratne said at the time that there was no option but to continue the attacks and "crush the terrorists", claiming there were no more civilians left inside the war zone. This in spite of the fact that he was fully aware that a day earlier the Sri Lankan Government itself had estimated there were still at least 15-20,000 civilians trapped inside the war zone[2] – which turned out to be a deliberate underestimate as the UN later said 60-80,000 people emerged alive[3].
Claim: General Kamal Gunarathna Said He Is Unaware That Retired Sri Lankan Soldiers Joining The Ukraine-Russia Conflict !! (Social Media Users, 2024-05-21)
Evidence (2024-06-25): COLOMBO (News 1st); A delegation of Sri Lankan officials left for Russia early this morning to investigate the involvement of retired military personnel from Sri Lanka in the Russia-Ukraine war. The delegation includes State Minister of Foreign Affairs Tharaka Balasuriya, Members of Parliament Dayasiri Jayasekara and Gamini Waleboda, Defense Secretary Retired General Kamal Gunaratne, and former Sri Lankan Ambassador to Russia Dr. Saman Weerasinghe. [...] MP Gamini Waleboda stated that the talks will focus on the challenges faced by Sri Lankan retired military personnel participating in the war.
Claim: General Kamal Gunarathna Said He Is Unaware That Retired Sri Lankan Soldiers Joining The Ukraine-Russia Conflict !! (Social Media Users, 2024-05-21)
Evidence (2024-05-10): COLOMBO (News 1st); Reports have emerged from various parts of the island regarding former members of the armed forces who are believed to have disappeared after joining the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. [...] The Ministry of Defence announced the establishment of a special unit to gather information on the human trafficking of retired Sri Lankan military personnel to the Russia-Ukraine war through illegal channels. Accordingly, the Defence Secretary requests the family members of the concerned to provide information about retired Sri Lankan military personnel who have joined the Russia-Ukraine war via various routes, including the dates of their departure, persons and institutions that had coordinated their passages, to the following dedicated no: 0112441146.
Claim: General Kamal Gunarathna Said He Is Unaware That Retired Sri Lankan Soldiers Joining The Ukraine-Russia Conflict !! (Social Media Users, 2024-05-21)
Evidence (2021-01-27): UN rights chief seeks sanctions against Sri Lanka generals [...] Bachelet expressed concern at General Shavendra Silva's elevation as army chief and General Kamal Gunaratne's appointment as defence secretary.
Claim: General Kamal Gunarathna Said He Is Unaware That Retired Sri Lankan Soldiers Joining The Ukraine-Russia Conflict !! (Social Media Users, 2024-05-21)
Evidence (2024-05-31): Sri Lanka and Russia are starting talks to resolve the issue of Sri Lankans fighting alongside Russians in the war against Ukraine, after at least 16 people were reported missing in action. On Thursday, Junior Foreign Minister Tharaka Balasuriya said that the Sri Lankans, mostly retired soldiers, had been duped into traveling to Russia with promises of good salaries and privileges including Russian citizenship. [...] The agents who recruited Sri Lankans had told them that they will not be used for fighting but there are now daily complaints that they are being sent to the war front in Ukraine, the minister said.
Claim: General Kamal Gunarathna Said He Is Unaware That Retired Sri Lankan Soldiers Joining The Ukraine-Russia Conflict !! (Social Media Users, 2024-05-21)
Evidence (2024-05-23): Upon investigation, the claim circulating on social media that Defence Secretary General Kamal Gunarathna said he was unaware of retired Sri Lankan soldiers joining the Ukraine-Russia conflict is false. Here’s a breakdown of the verified facts: [...] The claim that Defence Secretary General Kamal Gunarathna stated he was unaware of retired Sri Lankan soldiers joining the Ukrainian-Russian conflict is false. Verified statements from General Gunarathna and confirmations from defence officials clarify that he has addressed and warned against such activities. The issue of retired soldiers joining the conflict is well-documented, with international media also covering the stories extensively. Title:General Kamal Gunarathna Didn’t Say He is Unaware that Retired Sri Lankan Soldiers Joining the Ukraine-Russia Conflict