Fact Check
In his statement, Minister Dinesh Gunawardena claims that the government has made significant progress in resettling internally displaced persons (IDPs) following the end of the war. He claims that 93.76% of a total of 440,000 IDPS have been resettled as at present.
FactCheck evaluated the minister’s statement using the latest available data obtained from the Ministry of Justice, Human Rights and Law Reforms (MoJ). Exhibit 1 shows the numbers for IDPs resettled (894,449), and yet to be resettled (27,317), as of 31 July 2019. The share of IDPs yet to be resettled as percentage of 440,000 is 6.21%. The minister’s statistic may have obtained by subtracting 6.21% from 100%, which gives 93.79%. However, because the minister uses an incorrect statistic of 440,000 for the total needing resettlement, he understates the percentage resettled, which is actually 97.04% (see Exhibit 1)
The minister’s broad claim is that a high percentage of IDPs have been resettled. In this, he is correct. However, by using a lower incorrect statistic for the total that needed resettlement, the minister misrepresents the original problem and thereby also understates the progress achieved. Hence, we classify the minister’s claim as PARTLY TRUE.
*FactCheck’s verdict is based on the most recent information that is publicly accessible. As with every fact check, if new information becomes available, FactCheck will revisit the assessment.
Sources
- Ministry of Justice, Human Rights & Law Reform, Resettlement Progress In Northern & Eastern Provinces as at 31.01.2019, click here to access the report.
- Ministry of Justice, Human Rights & Law Reform, Details of To Be Resettled Internally Displaced Families as at 31.03.2019, click here to access the report.