29 APRIL 1989, Page 27

Sniping

Sir: Jeffrey Bernard speculates in his arti- cle 'Living dangerously' (25 March) about Salman Rushdie's discomforts in his hide- out and says'... your room would get very stuffy if you didn't dare go to the window to open it for fear of snipers ...'

I have just returned from a trip to South America where I stayed briefly in Asun- cion, the capital of Paraguay — and quote from an entry on page 642 of the encyclo- paedic and amazingly accurate South American Handbook which confirms Mr Bernard's worst fears: 'Asuncion ... Hotel Ambassador, with bath, very old (rooms overlooking the Palacio del Gobierno must close their windows during working hours — fear of snipers — makes rooms very hot).' I shall certainly continue to read Mr Bernard for his wonderful insights.

M. B. Valiance

South View, Beckwithshaw, Harrogate, North Yorkshire