I don’t know who Gomin Dayasri is, or whether he even exists, but there’s a remarkable piece of writing under his byline posted on the website of the Sri Lankan defence ministry. I recommend that readers should look at his piece in its entirety and not rely on what I say, for it needs to be read in full. According to Mr. Dayasri, us foreign correspondents in Sri Lanka are having a hell of a time being wined and dined, while "the girls in the NGO circuit provide the information and entertainment". He says that the journalists who come here want the war to carry on so that we continue to get the assignment and to indulge in the "fun around-sun and surf, safaris and misty mountains within easy reach" (sic). He then says there is no danger here apart from the "cancellation of the visa and a deportation order", which is actually quite a telling remark. I cannot help thinking that Mr. Dayasri, or whoever he is, may be a little jealous of us foreign reporters. But I can perhaps put his worries at ease. Not once during my first visit to Sri Lanka last month or on my current visit has anyone bought me as much as a cup of tea. As for the entertainment provided by the NGO girls, I’ve clearly yet to receive that invitation. His piece would actually be quite a laugh if the matter of journalism in places such as Sri Lanka was not so important and not so perilous. In truth working as a journalist in Sri Lanka is far from easy - especially for Sri Lankan journalists, many of whom have been killed, threatened or intimidated. Access to almost all information is tightly controlled, half the country is out of bounds and most people are cautious about talking, even off the record. And whatever you do write earns you the nasty messages that pile up in your in-box and on the internet message boards accusing you of being an LTTE supporter or a government stooge or both. So Mr. Dayasri, if you’re reading this, please drop me a line so that you can reveal this "stopover in paradise" that you describe. I’d like to see it.