President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa said erroneous statements were being circulated on social media attributing them to the President.

"There are many false news items being shared on social media, claiming to be statements and decisions by me," Rajapaksa tweeted this evening.

"Kindly note that all decisions will only be communicated officially through President’s office, President’s Media Divison or my official social media channels," he also added.

Ome such statement was that the President had banned the Tamil version of the Sri Lankan national anthem. However, Vasudeva Nanayakkara clarified that no such decision was made by the newly-elected President.