The Mass Media and Information Minister Keheliya Rambukwella has said that Sri lanka will follow the same guidelines as employed by the Australian government during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Perth 2 years ago.
Rambukwella said background checks are currently being performed on foreign journalists who have applied to enter the country to cover CHOGM.
The CHOGM 2013 Task Force Secretariat in Colombo will be making the final decisions in this regard, he said.
"We are not particular about any individual media channels or organisations coming to cover the summit, but the applications received from foreign media establishments are being reviewed before accreditation can be given to them provided they meet the guidelines set by the Commonwealth Secretariat in London," the minister said, when asked about the possibility of Channel 4 journalists entering the country.
However according to Colombo Page, a local Sunday paper reported that defence authorities were on “high alert” as a Channel 4 journalist is reported to have entered the country. The Terrorist Investigation division is said to be investigating the issue.