Foreign media who have arrived in Sri Lanka to cover the Commonwealth summit, will be restricted to reporting on CHOGM related events only, said Media Secretary Charitha Herath.
“There will be no restrictions on travel within Sri Lanka for foreign media personnel who arrive in the country for CHOGM, but only as tourists,” he said.
“However, those who come as part of the official delegations of various countries, can carry out media related activities and will get accreditation to cover only CHOGM related events.”
Journalists wishing to cover other issues will have to apply for different accreditation.
Over 300 foreign journalists are due to visit the island over the next week.
“We are aware that some of the foreign journalists want to portray a negative image of Sri Lanka, but this is a democratic country and we have nothing to hide,” Herath said.
“We believe in positive engagement with the foreign media. We are a country that has suffered from terrorism for 30 years, and we want to show the progress the country has made since the war ended.”
We need your support
Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.
Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view
We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.
For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.
