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| Sunday, 29 June 2003 |
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| News Business Features Editorial
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Dr. Rasaputram takes last bow Dr. Warnasena Rasaputram, former Central Bank Governor and distinguished diplomat, who served Sri Lanka for many years, passed away last week. R He returned to the Central Bank on completion of his studies and was appointed Director of Economic Research in 1968. In 1971, he was released for service with an International Labour Organisation team to report on the unemployment problem in Sri Lanka. He also served as a United Nations expert in Iraq and in several countries in Asia and the Caribbean. Dr. Rasaputram was appointed Assistant to the Governor in 1974 and Deputy Governor in 1975. In 1976, he was appointed Alternative Executive Director at the International Monetary Fund. In February 1979, he was appointed Governor of the Central Bank. He guided the operations of the bank during a time of great change as Sri Lanka moved from a closed economy to an open market. Dr. Rasaputram was a scholar, recognized both nationally and internationally, with many publications to his credit. He was a pioneer in forming the South East Asian Central Banking Forum and strengthening regional central bank cooperation. He also promoted the decentralization of the Central Bank, setting up regional branches in Matara, Anuradhapura and Matale, and was instrumental in establishing regional development banks. He served as Governor for nine years until November 1988, when he relinquished his post to serve as Ambassador to France. He subsequently served as High Commissioner to Malaysia and the Permanent Representative to the United Nations Offices in Geneva and Vienna and was Ambassador to the Vatican. He was President of the Disarmament Conference and Chairman of the Asian Group of Countries in Geneva in 1991. His final posting was as Ambassador to the United States. |
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| Editorial | Security Produced by Lake House |
asaputram joined the Central Bank of Sri Lanka in 1951 at the age of
24, having graduated with honours from the University of Ceylon with a
degree in Economics, specializing in Statistics. In the late 1950s, he won
a Smith-Mundt Scholarship from the Institute of International Education
and the United States Educational Foundation, and subsequently a
Fullbright grant. This enabled him to undertake post-graduate studies at
the University of Wisconsin USA where he obtained a Master's Degree in
Statistics and a Doctorate in Economics.
