PETALING JAYA, Jan 20 — Former deputy secretary-general of the Treasury Tan Sri Ramon Navaratnam has described Dr V.N. Gnanathurai, who was killed in a Kabul bomb blast on Friday, as a “bright and devoted” civil servant.
Gnanathurai was the former head of economics in the Finance Ministry in the 1970s before serving as a senior economics officer for about 10 years.
“He showed high commitment serving the country. He was a real credit to the nation’s civil service as a diplomatic administrative officer,” said Navaratnam,
Gnanathurai, 70, was among 21 people killed in an attack on the Taverna du Liban restaurant on Friday evening.
It was reported that gunmen burst into the Lebanese restaurant, spraying diners with bullets, then a bomber blew himself up near the entrance at about 7.30pm local time.
The Kuala Lumpur-born Gnanathurai was an adviser with Adam Smith International, a London-based company supporting the Afghan Budget Department in Kabul.
He had been posted to Afghanistan for seven years as part of the country’s reconstruction efforts following the defeat of the Taliban in 2003.
Gnana, as he was fondly known, was the company’s budget policy and reform adviser who helped reform Afghanistan’s national budget process to make it more effective and transparent.
Navaratnam said Gnana-thurai was sent by the government to further his studies at Boston University in 1980.
“He continued serving the Treasury and the Economic Planning Unit upon the completion of his PhD,” he said.
“He served in Cambodia and Kabul. His contract was repeatedly extended due to his contributions in advising the annual preparation of budgets and effective management of expenditure.”
He said Gnanathurai was concerned with Afghanistan’s economic policies and its development.
Navaratnam said Gnanathurai also viewed former deputy secretary of treasury Datuk Malek Merican as a “guru” to him.
“The country is proud of its faithful son Gnanathurai,” he said.
Gnanathurai’s former wife, Dr Manju Vachher, is a renowned US-based yoga practitioner, and a clinical and forensic psychologist. They have two sons.
In her email to Navaratnam, Vachher said their son Aschwin was in London coordinating arrangements to bring Gnana’s remains back to the US while their other son, Amit, was in California.
