'Delays in recovery process would swell ranks of the poor'

FIRST of all, I would like to thank my learned friend, Dr. Saman Kalegama, the Director of the Institute of Policy Studies in Sri Lanka, for inviting me to this International Conference which, as you all know, proposes to discuss the issues of "Economic Policy and Poverty Alleviation". In my view, it is indeed a relevant topic to be discussed in Sri Lanka, specially in the context of the aftermath of the tsunami disaster. It has been mentioned that nearly 3 million more Asians have joined the rank of the poor following the tsunami disaster, and it could take the affected population many more years to recover from poverty.

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Stanley Tillekeratne - the heckler who became Speaker

THE death of Stanley Tillekeratne, the Speaker of Parliament from 1970 to 1977, deprives Sri Lanka of one of its most colourful politicians and a witty speaker on political platforms. As a young undergraduate involved with the LSSP Stanley was dubbed 'Cardboard Colvin' by his antagonists supposedly because he emulated the oratorical style of Dr. Colvin R. de Silva, one of Sri Lanka's best public speakers.

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