Fake news spreads during Sri Lanka’s holy tree row

The Sri Maha Bodhi tree in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, believed to have been grown from a cutting of the tree that sheltered the Buddha when he attained enlightenment more than 2,500 years ago, was rumoured to be under threat from 5G mobile signals. The claims were made on a local website and shared widely on social media, including Facebook and WhatsApp groups. The government dispatched a team of experts to investigate, including the head of the telecom regulator, his technical chief and the director of the National Botanical Gardens, along with university professors and district administrators. The team found no evidence of 5G signals in the area and concluded that there was no threat to the tree. The Sri Maha Bodhi is both an object of worship and a symbol of national sovereignty for Sri Lanka’s majority Buddhist population.