The Hindu : International : Sri Lankan economist passes away

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Apr 11, 2004

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International

Sri Lankan economist passes away

By V.S. Sambandan

COLOMBO, APRIL 10. Lal Jayawardena, noted Sri Lankan economist and former diplomat, passed away here on Thursday after a brief illness. He was 70.

Dr. Jayawardena held several key positions in Sri Lanka and abroad, including that of economic adviser to the President, Chandrika Kumaratunga. He was the Deputy Chairman of the National Development Council and the first Director of the United Nations University's World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU/WIDER).

As the Treasury Secretary, Dr. Jayawardena was instrumental in designing and implementing the reform package between 1975 and 1978, which opened up Sri Lanka's economy. Between 1985 and 1993, he was the first Director of the UNU/WIDER in Finland, where he founded the WIDER Studies in Development Economics series of publications.

Dr. Jayawardena chaired a UNU/WIDER study group on Indo-Sri Lanka Economic Co-operation and its 1993 report was to be the basis of the Indo-Sri Lanka Bilateral Free Trade Agreement, signed by the two countries in 1998.

The diplomatic positions held by Dr. Jayawardena include Sri Lanka's High Commissioner to the U.K. and Ireland (1999-2000), Ambassador to Belgium, The Netherlands and Luxembourg and to the European Communities (1978-82).

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