The announcement is not about Queen Elizabeth II of England leaving Balmoral Castle, but a Sri Lankan leaving the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Headquarters in Washington DC, United States of America, and fondly made by her own colleagues.

When in 1965, Merril Gunaratne joined the Police Force as a young Probationary Assistant Superintendent of Police, Sri Lanka had yet to face some of the upheavals which have had an impact on its contemporary political scenario today. The country had yet to face the turbulence of the JVP insurrection, the ’83 riots and the ethnic conflict which followed shortly after.