The question of Rohingya refugees returned to public attention in Sri Lanka after a boat carrying more than 115 people reached the Mullaitivu coast in December 2024, and again when a Rohingya man living in Sri Lanka petitioned the UN Human Rights Council to release those in detention and grant them citizenship or permanent residency.
Against that backdrop, a post began circulating that claimed Cabinet Spokesperson and Health and Mass Media Minister Dr Nalinda Jayatissa had announced, at a cabinet media briefing, that the government was working to grant citizenship to Rohingya migrants. Here is the post that carried the claim.
Social Media Posts
The Minister Made No Such Statement at Any Cabinet Briefing
The Rohingya, who have faced long standing persecution around Myanmar’s Rakhine State, have fled the country in large numbers over the years to seek refuge elsewhere. Several groups have reached Sri Lanka, and the issue resurfaced in December 2024 when a boat carrying over 115 migrants arrived off Mullaitivu. A Rohingya migrant living in Sri Lanka then made a direct appeal to the 63rd session of the UN Human Rights Council to release those held here, asking the government to grant them citizenship or permanent residency (details here).
It was in that backdrop that the post claiming Minister Jayatissa had announced citizenship for Rohingya migrants spread. Had he made such a statement, it would have been reported not only in local media but...
The question of Rohingya refugees returned to public attention in Sri Lanka after a boat carrying more than 115 people reached the Mullaitivu coast in December 2024, and again when a Rohingya man l...