My Parting from Anderson Road, Kolubowila

Dear Damith

Thanks for your message. My heart missed a beat yesterday when the rent payment I made to you was bounced. Strange I couldn't understand why; then I noticed I had sent it to the Commercial Bank and not the Bank of Ceylon. Whoops! - I have sent it to the right account so would be good to know when it arrives.

Yes Priyantha is doing well in London and staying in my house there. That's very useful as he can keep an eye on things. He is still studying English in preparation for going on to study art. I have forwarded your email to him and I am sure he will get in touch. His art BLOG is CLICK.

Well my reference to this not being a good time to return here is all to do with the current, sliding political situation. The media is becoming more and more compliant, journalists fear for their lives if they aren't. You'll have heard about the Defence Secretary and the President's brother, Gotabaya, calling the Daily Mirror editor and berating her for telling the truth??

The Rajapaksa brothers are accused of running the Government like a kitchen cabinet and now control a lot of spending Ministries - but only one was ever elected.

I think today's feature in The Daily Mirror is an excellent analysis and by a military man too... You can see that it's the Daily Mirror we get delivered daily and the local scrap paper guy calls every now and then to take them away - wow how the pile mounts!

Then there's corruption and the sidelining of COPE, the Parliamentary Commission on corruption - it's findings an alarming revelation of corruption in the heart of Government. With inflation at record heights and the ordinary people suffering one ask 'what price a so called unitary state?'

So all rather dismal - and the recent SLFP proposals to end the conflict and offer the Tamils a constitutional settlement fell far far short of the mark. It all rather makes people feel hopeless.

Ground views is a good news and comments website by the way.

Well the owner of the new house, we're moving to, Pradeep, is also leaving the country. He works at HSBC and his young family is emigrating to Canada to join a brother who is already settled there. We spoke with Pradeep the other day and he said how much he would like to stay in Sri Lanka but it was a mess 'What to do - Nae? I want my children to have a chance!'

It is so sad to see people saying that about a country with such promise and such beauty. And I am afraid land prices and rental prices are not going up with inflation but the opposite way. No doubt you'll hear more from your brother.

We have all enjoyed living here and my friends from various parts of the world, who have visited, have also enjoyed the peace and quiet of Anderson Rd.

I hope there's not too much to do when you return but the wood beetle have certainly had a feast and I think a beetle fumigation before you move in would at least arrest the deterioration....the cupboards in my bedroom are not more like paper!

We'll stay in touch.

Ciao