Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse "invited" British high commissioner (ambassador) Dominick Chilcott to his tightly-guarded office at short notice Thursday, a high commission spokesman said.
"They talked about the role of the media," the spokesman said. "The high commissioner and the defence secretary agreed that the confidentiality of the meeting would be preserved."
The summons came after Chilcott visited the editor of Colombo's Daily Mirror, Champika Liyanaarachchi Wednesday, a day after she said she received a death threat from Rajapakse.
Chilcott's unexpected visit was seen by diplomats as a signal of Britain's deep concern over recent attacks against the freedom of expression in this former British colony.
His gesture of support came hours after the Sri Lankan government accused unnamed diplomats of interfering in the island's internal affairs and warned that those meddling would be kicked out.
Rajapakse denied issuing a death threat, in remarks posted on the defence ministry web site.
"While admitting that he had had a telephone conversation with the said newspaper editor, the defence secretary said that it was just a frank exchange of ideas on two controversial articles published on the said newspaper," the site said.
"He further stated that he did not make any threat to the said editor other than openly expressing his views and was surprised how certain media had exaggerated the issue."
Media organisations have described Sri Lanka, where the government is fighting a bitter war against Tamil Tiger separatist rebels, as the most dangerous place on earth for journalists after
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