copenlu/druid huggingface dataset:
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 (2022-04-19): It is unclear how much support there would be in the army for a crackdown. On one hand, its top commanders – most notably the army head, Major General Shavendra Silva (sanctioned by the United States for credible allegations of war crimes), and the defence secretary, retired General Kamal Gunaratne – are known to be close to the president. On the other hand, while military personnel are paid well relative to other civil servants, the worse the economic crisis gets, the more they and their families will also feel its effects. They could be reluctant to turn their guns on protesters, especially those who are fellow Sinhalese. There is also evidence of fissures between the army and police, who are normally in charge of dealing with protests. In one incident – widely discussed on social media – police turned away unmarked army special forces motorcycle units sent in to intimidate protesters near parliament on 5 April. The army commander and defence secretary reacted angrily and ordered the chief of police to discipline the policemen involved.
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 (2024-10-08): -By A Special Correspondent (Lanka-e-News -15.May.2024, 9.00 PM) In a startling revelation, it has come to light that a significant number of Sri Lankans, estimated to be between 5000 to 10,000, are reportedly engaged in combat in Russia, directly contravening advisories issued by t Read more >> [...] -By A Special Correspondent (Lanka-e-News -28.Feb.2024, 5.40 PM) In a sudden turn of events, a diplomatic storm brews between Russia and Sri Lanka, triggered by a controversial circular issued by the Immigration and Emigration Department. The directive, demanding the departure of lo Read more >> [...] -LeN Internal Information Service reveals (Lanka-e-News -06.July.2022, 5.30PM) A recent secret letter sent by the Inspector General of Police C. D. Wickramarathna to the Defense Secretary Kamal Gunarathna has now been leaked to the media. It has been reported to the Lanka-e-News Internal... Read more >>
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 (2022-05-22): Later, in a statement, Weeratunga said that "pressure" had been brought about and the interview had been pulled out from the You Tube. He published a post of the interview in his Facebook account. Whoever did that, he charged, would be held responsible if any harm was to come his way. When Mahinda Rajapaksa was President, he appointed Udayanga Weeratunga as Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Russia. Earlier, he owned and operated Club Sri Lanka, a restaurant in Kiev, Ukraine. [...] Another area of serious concern has been the Ministry of Defence which is tasked with the responsibility of ensuring national security. Defence Secretary retired Major General Kamal Gunaratne told a news conference last week that he received no intelligence reports of attacks on protestors outside Temple Trees and Galle Face Green. Other highly placed sources are disputing this. "He was not only warned of what was ahead. He was also asked to initiate certain measures. However, they were not executed," said one of them. Added another "The MoD had a bigger role to co-ordinate the activities of the troops and Police to prevent any mayhem. The question is whether this happened or did anyone fail."
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 (2001-06-01): General Officer in-charge of the 58th Division, Brigadier Shavendra de Silva, told that the Sri Lankan troops were exercising maximum restraint to avoid civilian casualties. [...] Sri Lankan military said it wants to boost up its manpower by more than 100,000 troops to prevent resurgence of the LTTE or any other such group. The troop build up, which will increase the number of Sri Lankan forces from 200,000 to 300,000, was announced by the Army Commander General Sarath Fonseka amidst fears in Colombo that the LTTE militants living abroad may try to resurrect the group under a new leadership. "There may be people abroad trying to promote a new leader and stage a comeback," Fonseka told. But, "it will not be easy for them to build up a terror group as they did before", the army chief asserted. More than 22,000 LTTE militants were killed in the offensive and another 9,000 surrendered to the Government forces, Fonseka added. He also indicated that fresh operations might be carried out to flush out small LTTE units still in hiding in the jungles. [...] Sri Lankas Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Sarath Fonseka, who as Army Chief led the war against the LTTE, sent in his resignation letter to President Mahinda Rajapakse, possibly to join politics. Sources in the Presidential Secretariat said Rajapakse would accept the resignation with effect from December 1.
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 (2020-11-08): Gunaratna, Rohan 1997 International & regional security implications of the Sri Lankan Tamil insurgency, Colombo: Unie Arts Ltd for International Foundation of Sri Lankans, UK. Gunaratna, Rohan 1998 Sri Lanka’s ethnic crisis & national security, Colombo: Unie Arts Ltd for South Asian Network on Conflict Research.
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 (2010-12-01): Gunaratne. Jayaruk recorded the conversation and filed a complaint regarding the death threat with the Matara police.
Claim: Sri Lanka to gift two female elephants to Pakistan !! (Social Media Users, 2023-04-23)
Evidence (2023-04-23): According to our investigation, we were able to find out that the viral story of sending two female elephants from Sri Lanka to Pakistan is misleading. It's based on the irresponsible statement of Sri Lanka's honorary consular of Lahore, and Sri Lankan high commission categorically denied any such preparation and said it had strictly advised to consular general of Lahore not to deliver such statements again.
Claim: Sri Lanka to gift two female elephants to Pakistan !! (Social Media Users, 2023-04-23)
Evidence (2023-04-24): The story of unfortunate death of an elephant in a Pakistani Zoo gone viral and reached far away in the world. An elephant at a Pakistani Zoo, called ‘Noor Jehan’ was ill far many months. She was under treatment. A team of doctors came for abroad to treat her and things were improving for her. However, due to lack of care by zoo staff, she fell in a pond, this made her health worse. After fighting for her life, on eid day, April 22, 2023, she was died. The unfortunate story of Noor Jehan echoed across the world. In a response, Honorary Consul of Sri Lanka General Yasin Joyia confirmed Pakistan that they will be getting two elephants from Sri Lanka as a gift. Though in Sri Lanka there is a ban on export of elephants, however, they have decided to make an exception to the rule and provide Pakistan with two female elephants. One elephant will be for Karachi zoo and one will be for Lahore zoo. Previously in Lahore zoo, in 2017 an elephant name Suzi was died. So Lahore zoo was also missing an elephant. Sri Lanka decided to bridge this gap of Lahore zoo as well as Karachi zoo with courteous gift of two elephants. [...] Coming back to the elephants gift by Sri Lanka, they will arrive in Pakistan in few days. They will be named by Sri Lankan govt itself before sending them to Pakistan. A proper announcement will be made soon about the timeline of their arrival in Pakistan.
Claim: Sri Lanka to gift two female elephants to Pakistan !! (Social Media Users, 2023-04-23)
Evidence (2023-04-26): ISLAMABAD/COLOMBO – Several reports in local media claimed that Sri Lanka promised to gift two elephants to Pakistan in the aftermath of the tragic demise of Noor Jehan. Local media claimed that Sri Lanka will be sending two female elephants to Pakistan, one for the Karachi Zoo and another for Lahore. [...] Trashing media reports, Sri Lankan High Commission in Pakistan took to social media to say that no such request has been made so far. Earlier, reports quoting Sri Lanka Honorary Counsel General Yasin Joya claimed that Colombo will be sending two female elephants to Pakistan.
Claim: Sri Lanka to gift two female elephants to Pakistan !! (Social Media Users, 2023-04-23)
Evidence (2023-04-26): KARACHI: The Sri Lankan High Commission in Pakistan on Wednesday denied reports the island nation had offered to provide elephants to the South Asian country that just lost one of its African elephants in a zoo in the port city of Karachi on Sunday — the animal was seriously ill for a long time. [...] On Sunday, after the tragic death of African elephant Noor Jehan in the Karachi Zoo, Joyia told Geo News that Sri Lanka would gift two elephants to Pakistan. Joyia had claimed that a request for the elephants was sent to the Sri Lankan high commissioner for the elephants. He had claimed that Sri Lanka would be sending two female elephants to Pakistan — for the Karachi and Lahore zoos.
Claim: Sri Lanka to gift two female elephants to Pakistan !! (Social Media Users, 2023-04-23)
Evidence (2023-04-25): Sri Lanka refutes reports on gifting elephants to Pakistan after death of one at Karachi Zoo Dismissing the media reports that Sri Lanka would gift two elephants to Pakistan, the Sri Lankan High Commission in Islamabad took to Twitter on Tuesday to say that no such request has been made so far. Sri Lanka on Tuesday strongly rebutted media reports about gifting two elephants to Pakistan's Karachi and Lahore zoos after the tragic death of an elephant at the zoological gardens here.
Claim: Sri Lanka to gift two female elephants to Pakistan !! (Social Media Users, 2023-04-23)
Evidence (2023-04-28): Sri Lanka has recently been in the spotlight over the mistreatment of Sri Lankan elephants in foreign zoos, and yet, reports surfaced of Sri Lanka taking steps to gift two elephants to Pakistan following the death of one due to prolonged health issues worsened by a lack of care. [...] The recent statement made by Consul General of Sri Lanka in Lahore Yasin Joya regarding the sending of two elephants to Pakistan has raised concerns among animal rights activists in Sri Lanka. RARE Sri Lanka, an organisation that works towards protecting and conserving Sri Lanka’s wildlife, has expressed its concern over the matter. [...] RARE Sri Lanka has requested the Sri Lankan authorities to reconsider the decision to send elephants to Pakistan and to protect the welfare of these sentient beings. It is crucial that the Sri Lankan Government acknowledges the importance of animal welfare and takes necessary steps to protect the country’s wildlife.
Claim: Sri Lanka to gift two female elephants to Pakistan !! (Social Media Users, 2023-04-23)
Evidence (2023-04-26): Fact Check: Did Sri Lanka Really Offer Two Elephants To Pakistan? | Developing | Dawn News English
Claim: Sri Lanka to gift two female elephants to Pakistan !! (Social Media Users, 2023-04-23)
Evidence (2023-04-24): LAHORE: Sri Lanka has pledged to provide two elephants to Pakistan as a gesture of goodwill in the aftermath of the unfortunate demise of Noor Jehan, an African elephant in Karachi Zoo. Honorary Consul General Yasin Joyia confirmed the development to Geo News on Sunday. As per Joyia, the Consul General's office has formally submitted a request to the Sri Lankan High Commissioner seeking the provision of these two majestic creatures. [...] Speaking with Geo News a day earlier, the diplomat said that Sri Lanka will be sending two female elephants to Pakistan — one for the Karachi Zoo and another for Lahore.
Claim: Sri Lanka to gift two female elephants to Pakistan !! (Social Media Users, 2023-04-23)
Evidence (2023-04-24): Sri Lanka will gift Pakistan two elephants following the tragic death of an African mammoth, Noor Jehan, at Karachi Zoo. The Honorary Consul General of Sri Lanka, Yasin Joyia, confirmed the news on Sunday, revealing that both elephants will be female, with one going to the Karachi Zoo and the other to Lahore. [...] The Sri Lankan envoy assured that the names of the elephants would be given by the government back home, and their arrival would be announced shortly. This news has been well received by animal lovers in Pakistan, as the outcry against the caging of animals in zoos has been ongoing for quite some time.
Claim: Sri Lanka to gift two female elephants to Pakistan !! (Social Media Users, 2023-04-23)
Evidence (2023-04-24): Following the unfortunate death of the African elephant ‘Noor Jehan’ in the Karachi Zoo, Sri Lanka has announced that it will donate two elephants to Pakistan. While talking to a private news channel, Sri Lanka's Honorary Consul General Yasin Joyia said that he has made a request for the elephants to the Sri Lankan High Commissioner. In the meantime, the country’s high court has previously ruled that exporting elephants abroad is prohibited. The ambassador said that Sri Lanka will send two female elephants to Pakistan, one for the Karachi Zoo and the other for Lahore.
Claim: Sri Lanka to gift two female elephants to Pakistan !! (Social Media Users, 2023-04-23)
Evidence (2023-04-24): ISLAMABAD: Following the tragic death of African elephant Noor Jehan in the Karachi Zoo, Sri Lanka has announced that it will gift two female elephants to Pakistan. [...] Joyia stated that one of the elephants will be sent to Karachi Zoo and the other to Lahore. He also expressed grief over Noor Jehan’s demise, which was reportedly due to prolonged health issues exacerbated by a lack of care at the zoo. [...] The gift of two elephants from Sri Lanka is a step towards improving the conditions of captive animals in Pakistan’s zoos. The move has been welcomed by animal rights activists who hope that the new elephants will receive better care and treatment.
Claim: Sri Lanka to gift two female elephants to Pakistan !! (Social Media Users, 2023-04-23)
Evidence (2024-10-07): Consul General of Pakistan Yasin Joya confirmed that after the death of Noor Jehan, an African elephant in Pakistan's Karachi Zoo, Sri Lanka agreed to give two elephants to Pakistan. Speaking to foreign media he has also stated that an official request for obtaining the elephants has been submitted to the Pakistan High Commission in Sri Lanka. [...] In such a background, the foreign media have reported that they have diplomatically agreed to give two elephants to Karachi Zoo and Lahore Zoo.
Claim: Sri Lanka to gift two female elephants to Pakistan !! (Social Media Users, 2023-04-23)
Evidence (2024-10-08): Sri Lanka will gift Pakistan two elephants following the tragic death of an African mammoth, Noor Jehan, at Karachi Zoo, Pakistani media reported. The Honorary Consul General of Sri Lanka, Yasin Joyia, confirmed the news on Sunday, revealing that both elephants will be female, with one going to the Karachi Zoo and the other to Lahore. [...] The Sri Lankan envoy assured that the names of the elephants would be given by the government back home, and their arrival would be announced shortly. This news has been well received by animal lovers in Pakistan, as the outcry against the caging of animals in zoos has been ongoing for quite some time.
Claim: Sri Lanka to gift two female elephants to Pakistan !! (Social Media Users, 2023-04-23)
Evidence (2023-04-26): LAHORE: After the tragic death of African elephant Noor Jehan in the Karachi Zoo, Sri Lanka has said it will gift two elephants to Pakistan, Honorary Consul General of the country Yasin Joyia confirmed to Geo News Sunday. According to Joyia, a request for the elephants has been sent to the Sri Lankan High Commissioner by the consul general. Meanwhile, the country's high court has already placed a ban on sending elephants abroad in a past verdict. Speaking with Geo News a day earlier, Joyia said that Sri Lanka will be sending two female elephants to Pakistan — one for the Karachi Zoo and another for Lahore.
Claim: Sri Lanka to gift two female elephants to Pakistan !! (Social Media Users, 2023-04-23)
Evidence (2024-10-08): I agree with most of what you say, just to inform further, there was a 5 year public campaign which initially set out to improve conditions at the zoo. When this proved unlikely because of endless local government procrastination the campaign became one that urged relocation of Kaavan the elephant, not to another zoo but in a wildlife sanctuary in Cambodia who offered a place for Kaavan. When the Justice first stated a return to Sri Lanka, his thinking was that the elephant was gifted from Sri Lanka. You can hear why Justice Minallah came to his final judgement here from Lawyer Owais Awanand the Attorney Owais Awan in conversation with the Nonhuman Rights Project In the end 2 Himalayan brown bears were also relocated to a sanctuary in Jordan. There are ongoing actions by Pakistan’s public to either close down bad zoos or improve them, the case of Kaavan and the 2 bears set legal precedent which it is hoped will begin the actions to seriously improve the lives of captive wild animals.
Claim: Sri Lanka to gift two female elephants to Pakistan !! (Social Media Users, 2023-04-23)
Evidence (2023-04-25): On April 22, a critically ill 17-year-old African elephant Noor Jehan, ailing in pain at the Karachi zoo succumbed to her critical condition. But two days later, Sri Lankan authorities have reportedly agreed to gift two female elephants to Pakistan. Speaking to local media, Pakistan’s Honorary Consul General Yasin Joyia said that a request for the elephants has been sent to the Sri Lankan High Commission and that Sri Lanka will be sending two elephants, one for the Karachi Zoo and one for Lahore. [...] But prior to sending the animals, Pakistan needs to fulfil a list of criteria in order to receive the CITES permit from Sri Lanka’s Department of Wildlife Conservation. When contacted, DWC Director General M.G.C Sooriyabandara said that he has not received any request of this nature. "We are not aware of a request or a proposal to gift two female elephants to Pakistan. They have to initially request us for a CITES permit. But, prior to that they have to fulfil all requirements including the provision of proof that the animals will be kept in standard conditions and so on. A cabinet approval is also required," he added.
Claim: Sri Lanka to gift two female elephants to Pakistan !! (Social Media Users, 2023-04-23)
Evidence (2020-07-09): - Since 1975, Sri Lanka has gifted 35 elephants to zoos in various countries — a practice that animal welfare groups say is inhumane for such large animals that evolved to roam over expansive tracts of land. [...] The Sri Lankan government has given elephants from the orphanage to several countries, with each transfer subject to CITES regulations. According to the CITES Trade Database, Sri Lanka has given away 35 elephants since 1975, many of the transfers initiated by Sri Lanka’s Department of National Zoological Gardens. [...] In May this year, Kaavan, a male elephant sent to Pakistan shortly after its birth in 1985, was ordered by a court to be released from Islamabad Zoo, where it had been kept in chains for decades. The court said wildlife officials in Pakistan should work with their counterparts in Sri Lanka to find a suitable sanctuary for Kaavan. The ruling came after a global campaign, spearheaded on social media by the U.S. singer and actress Cher, to free Kaavan.
Claim: Sri Lanka to gift two female elephants to Pakistan !! (Social Media Users, 2023-04-23)
Evidence (2023-08-07): The decision on elephant Kaavan’s future, who came to Pakistan as a gift from Sri Lanka in 1985, is still pending. Initially, he shared an enclosure at Marghazar zoo with his partner Saheli, but since her death in 2012, Kaavan has lived a lonely existence. In 2016, an international campaign to save the elephant was launched. When the court in Islamabad ruled the closure of the zoo in May 2020, it was also decided that Kaavan should be taken to an animal sanctuary inside or outside Pakistan, contingent on his medical condition. FOUR PAWS is now supporting the Pakistani government with the assessment of the elephant’s health status. Depending on the results, Kaavan might be relocated to a sanctuary later in the year.
Claim: Sri Lanka to gift two female elephants to Pakistan !! (Social Media Users, 2023-04-23)
Evidence (2020-07-31): - In a historic move, the Islamabad High Court has ruled that Kaavan, a Sri Lankan elephant given to Pakistan’s Islamabad Zoo 35 years ago, be relocated to a sanctuary in Cambodia due to the zoo’s poor conditions and the impact on the elephant’s welfare. [...] Born in 1985, Sri Lanka offered Kaavan to Pakistan to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries. This custom has drawn criticism because it deprives elephants of the right to live freely. [...] Banner image of Kaavan, a Sri Lankan elephant gifted to Pakistan, courtesy of Free Kaavan the Elephant/Facebook.
Claim: Sri Lanka to gift two female elephants to Pakistan !! (Social Media Users, 2023-04-23)
Evidence (2023-08-07): In the days preceding Kaavan’s departure the President of Pakistan Dr. Arif Alvi, visited Marghazar zoo to officially bid farewell to the elephant who was gifted to the country 35 years ago. Now a species-appropriate home awaits Kaavan, where he will live with three female elephants in Cambodia. [...] The 28-hectare Marghazar Zoo was originally opened in 1978 as a wildlife sanctuary in the Margalla Hills in Islamabad but was later converted into a zoo. The zoo has been owned by the Pakistani capital Islamabad since its opening. Elephant Kaavan came to Pakistan as a gift from Sri Lanka in 1985. From 1990 on, he shared his enclosure at Marghazar Zoo with his partner Saheli, but since her death in 2012, Kaavan has lived a lonely existence. Kaavan was the only Asian elephant left in Pakistan, meaning it was not possible to socialise him with other elephants. But now, he will have a chance to once again live in a herd at Cambodia Wildlife Sanctuary, co-founded by Lek Chailert. Initially he will be released into a quarantine enclosure, of approximately one acre, where he will be managed by a protected contact system. After the quarantine he will be able to roam within another bigger enclosure and after full rehabilitation he will be able to roam within a huge, fenced area covering several hectares. Not only will he have more space, but there will be an abundance of natural enrichments that will provide a varied diet for the 36-year-old elephant.
Claim: Sri Lanka to gift two female elephants to Pakistan !! (Social Media Users, 2023-04-23)
Evidence (2018-01-17): Currently in Pakistan there is an elephant named Kaavan. For the past three decades, since he was a baby of between one and two years old, he has been held in conditions not fitting for any being. Considered property, he was a diplomatic gift from the Sri Lankan government to the Pakistan government in 1985. Many people are aware of Kaavan and his story of being tightly chained almost his entire life in deplorable conditions in the Islamabad Zoo. [...] Elephants like the NhRP’s clients Beulah, Karen, Minnie, and the elephant we have been fighting for in Pakistan, Kaavan, are captured from the wild and from their families. Herd members are very often killed in the process of trying to protect the babies. Traumatized babies are shipped from their native habitat to be physically abused and mentally "broken" until they submit to a life as a docile "attraction" of one sort or another in zoos or circuses, giving tourist rides, kept as status symbols, or owned or rented for religious and cultural festivals. All this is even worse when we consider that elephants are scientifically proven to be one of the most intelligent species on earth; they are highly social and form lifelong bonds, are known to show empathy, are body-aware, and many would argue, self-aware.