US embassy cable - 02COLOMBO2164

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 002164 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR ECA/PE/V/P-MARGERY BENSON/AZZA MOUNIB- 
ZAKI; ECA/PE/V/G/N-ALICE SHIFFLETT; SA/PD 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OEXC, SCUL, KPAO, OEXC - Exchanges 
SUBJECT: FY-2003 INTERNATIONAL VISITOR PROGRAM: SRI 
LANKAN NOMINATION FOR MRP ON URBAN ENVIRONMENTAL 
ISSUES: AUGUST 7-28, 2003 
PROJECT NUMBER: E/VP-2003-0036 
 
REF: (A) COLOMBO 01899, (B) STATE 129191, 
 
(C) STATE 50054 
 
1. POST NOMINATES MR. HEMANTHA KUMAR JAYASUNDERA, 
DIRECTOR, PROJECT MANAGEMENT, URBAN DEVELOPMENT 
AUTHORITY, FOR PARTICIPATION IN SUBJECT PROJECT. 
 
2. PART I OF NOMINEE'S BIO DATA FOLLOWS: 
EXPORT-SOURCE: USIS EVDB 
VERSION: 3.0.0 
POST-EMAIL: rscmb@pd.state.gov 
TRANSMITTING-POST: PAS  Colombo 
TRANSMITTING-POST-ID: 2929 
EXPORT-TYPE: BIO DATA 
START NOMINATION: 
USIA-OFFICE: E/VGN 
PROG-AGENCY-NAME: 
POST-PROJ-ID: 72 
USIA-PROJ-NO: E/VP-2003-0036 
PROJ-NAME: Urban Environmental Issues - August 7-28, 
2003 
START MEMO PROJ-DESC: 
 
END MEMO PROJ-DESC: 
PROJ-TYPE: Multi-Regional 
PROG-TYPE: IV Grant Visitor 
FY: 2003 
DEPART-POST: 08/05/2003 
SESSION-DATE: 08/07/2003 
RETURN-POST: 08/31/2003 
NO-OF-PART: 1 
RANK-ORDER: 14 
START MEMO POST-OBJ: 
This nomination is in support of the MPP theme on 
Environment. 
END MEMO POST-OBJ: 
START MEMO POST-RCMD: 
 
END MEMO POST-RCMD: 
USIA-OFFICE-ID: 1039 
PROG-AGENCY-ID: 
PROJ-TYPE-ID: MRP 
PROG-TYPE-ID: 29 
NOMINATING-POST-ID: 2929 
FUNDING-CNTRY-ID: 
STATUS: N 
ORIGINATOR: U 
SUBJ-DISC: Environment 
START BIO: 
PREFIX: Mr. 
F-NAME: Hemantha 
M-NAME: Kumara 
L-NAME: JAYASUNDERA 
SUFFIX: 
PRINCIPAL?: Yes 
M-ADDR1: Project Management Division 
M-ADDR2: Urban Development Authority 
M-ADDR3: Sethsiripaya 
M-CITY: Battaramulla 
M-STATE: 
M-CNTRY: Sri Lanka 
M-ZONE: 
M-ZIP: 
M-PHONE: 
M-FAX: 
M-EMAIL: 
M-CNTRY-ID: CE 
M-ADDRTYPE: B 
GENDER: M 
DOB: 10/01/1954 
MAR-STAT: M 
BIRTH-CITY: Kurunegala 
BIRTH-CNTRY: Sri Lanka 
CITIZ-CNTRY: Sri Lanka 
RES-CNTRY: Sri Lanka 
START MEMO POSITION: 
Director, Project Management, Urban Development 
Authority (UDA) 
END MEMO POSITION: 
START MEMO OTHER-POSITIONS: 
 
END MEMO OTHER-POSITIONS: 
START MEMO PREV-POSITIONS: 
Served as Planning Officer, Town Planner, and 
Assistant Director at the UDA from 1981 
1991-98 - On secondment served the Asian Development 
Bank's Urban Development Sector Programs 
END MEMO PREV-POSITIONS: 
START MEMO US-TRAVEL: 
1997 - Attended a two-week training program on Urban 
Revitalization funded by the ADB 
END MEMO US-TRAVEL: 
START MEMO OTHER-TRAVEL: 
 
END MEMO OTHER-TRAVEL: 
START MEMO EDUCATION: 
BA (Hons) in Economics, University of Peradeniya, 
1979 
Postgraduate Diploma in Urban Development, 
University of Moratuwa, 1980 
M.Sc. in Town and Country Planning, University of 
Moratuwa. 1987 
M.Sc. in Environmental Science, University of 
Colombo ( to be completed - thesis to be submitted) 
END MEMO EDUCATION: 
START MEMO MEMBERSHIPS: 
 
END MEMO MEMBERSHIPS: 
START MEMO PUBLICATIONS: 
 
END MEMO PUBLICATIONS: 
START MEMO SPEC-CONSID: 
 
END MEMO SPEC-CONSID: 
FIRST-LANG: Sinhala 
ENGL-READ: 4 
ENGL-SPEAK: 4 
ENGL-COMP: 4 
START MEMO NOM-POST-OBJ: 
This nomination is in support of the MPP theme on 
Environment. 
END MEMO NOM-POST-OBJ: 
START MEMO NOM-POST-RCMD: 
 
END MEMO NOM-POST-RCMD: 
START MEMO VIS-OBJ: 
 
END MEMO VIS-OBJ: 
START MEMO VIS-REC: 
 
END MEMO VIS-REC: 
NOMINATING-OFFICER: Stephen Holgate 
START MEMO NOMINATING-JUSTIFICATION: 
Mr. Jayasundera is the head of the project 
management division of the Urban Development 
Authority.  He is an energetic public official 
dedicated to his work. The Colombo Re-development 
Project, which Mr. Jayasundera is in charge of, is 
an ambitious project and he has a correct assessment 
of this mammoth task.  Although he has been to the 
United States before, that was only for two weeks to 
Harvard to attend a short training program five 
years ago.  An exposure in general to the American 
culture and society and especially to the 
achievements in urban development in the United 
States, will be of immense value to this urban 
developer.  An in-depth look at civic planning, 
economic development and the nexus of government and 
private sector activities in community building 
could prove inspirational to this idealistic civil 
servant and prove of great value to Sri Lanka and 
its democratic future. 
END MEMO NOMINATING-JUSTIFICATION: 
NOM-OFF: Public Affairs Section 
SPEAKER?: No 
NOTIFY-EMB: No 
MEDIA?: No 
HOME-STAY: Yes 
HOME-HOSP?: Yes 
E-I-TYPE: 
NOMINEE-ID: 104 
PERSON-ID: 108 
BIRTH-CNTRY-ID: CE 
CITIZ-CNTRY-ID: CE 
RES-CNTRY-ID: CE 
FIRST-LANG-ID: SI 
E-I-TYPE-ID: 
NOM-POST-ID: 2929 
NOM-FUNDING-CNTRY-ID: 
NOM-STATUS: N 
END BIO: 
END NOMINATION: 
 
3. PLEASE ADVISE ACCEPTANCE OF THIS NOMINATION. 
WILLS