US embassy cable - 02COLOMBO2166

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 COLOMBO 002166 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR ECA/PE/V/P-ALISON MOYLAN/SEQUITA ROBINSON, 
ECA/PE/V/G/N-ALICE SHIFFLETT; SA/PD 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OEXC, SCUL, KPAO, OEXC - Exchanges 
SUBJECT: FY-2003 IV PROGRAM: SRI LANKAN NOMINATION FOR 
MRP ON "ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN THE U.S.": MAY 29-JUNE 19, 
2003 
PROJECT NUMBER: E/VP-2003-0028 
 
REF: (A) COLOMBO 01899, (B) STATE 127990, (C) STATE 
50054 
 
1. POST NOMINATES MR. MARKANDU RAMATHASAN, MANAGING 
DIRECTOR, EUROVILLE ENGINEERS AND CONSTRUCTORS (PVT) 
LTD., FOR PARTICIPATION IN SUBJECT PROJECT. 
 
2. NOMINATION IS AS 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: 68 
USIA-PROJ-NO: E/VP-2003-0028 
PROJ-NAME: Entrepreneurship - May 29 - June 19, 2003 
START MEMO PROJ-DESC: 
 
END MEMO PROJ-DESC: 
PROJ-TYPE: Multi-Regional 
PROG-TYPE: IV Grant Visitor 
FY: 2003 
DEPART-POST: 05/27/2003 
SESSION-DATE: 05/29/2003 
RETURN-POST: 06/22/2003 
NO-OF-PART: 1 
RANK-ORDER: 10 
START MEMO POST-OBJ: 
This nomination is in support of MPP strategic goal on 
"Economic Development" 
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: Economic & Business Development 
START BIO: 
PREFIX: Mr. 
F-NAME: Markandu 
M-NAME: 
L-NAME: RAMATHASAN 
SUFFIX: 
PRINCIPAL?: Yes 
M-ADDR1: Euroville Engineers and Constructors 
M-ADDR2: (Pvt) Ltd. 
M-ADDR3: 866 Point Pedro Road, Nallur 
M-CITY: Jaffna 
M-STATE: 
M-CNTRY: Sri Lanka 
M-ZONE: 
M-ZIP: 
M-PHONE: (94-21) 2849 
M-FAX: 
M-EMAIL: 
M-CNTRY-ID: CE 
M-ADDRTYPE: B 
GENDER: M 
DOB: 04/03/1957 
MAR-STAT: M 
BIRTH-CITY: Jaffna 
BIRTH-CNTRY: Sri Lanka 
CITIZ-CNTRY: Sri Lanka 
RES-CNTRY: Sri Lanka 
START MEMO POSITION: 
Managing Director, Euroville Engineers and Constructors 
(Pvt) Ltd., 1997- to date 
END MEMO POSITION: 
START MEMO OTHER-POSITIONS: 
 
END MEMO OTHER-POSITIONS: 
START MEMO PREV-POSITIONS: 
Works Engineer, Municipal Council, Jaffna, 1992-96 
Managing Director, Euroville Engineers and Constructors 
(Pvt) Ltd.,1988-91 
Civil Engineer, Skylark (Pvt) Ltd., 1984-87 
Irrigation Engineer, GTZ Project in Jaffna, 1982-83 
Site Engineer, Lanka Cement, Kankasanthurai, 1980-81 
END MEMO PREV-POSITIONS: 
 
START MEMO US-TRAVEL: 
No 
END MEMO US-TRAVEL: 
START MEMO OTHER-TRAVEL: 
 
END MEMO OTHER-TRAVEL: 
START MEMO EDUCATION: 
B.Sc. (Engineering), Peradeniya University of Sri 
Lanka, 1980 
END MEMO EDUCATION: 
START MEMO MEMBERSHIPS: 
Vice President, Chamber of Commerce and Industry of 
Yalpanam (Jaffna)< 1999- to date 
President, Construction Contractors Association, Jaffna 
Unit, 2000- to date 
END MEMO MEMBERSHIPS: 
START MEMO PUBLICATIONS: 
 
END MEMO PUBLICATIONS: 
START MEMO SPEC-CONSID: 
 
END MEMO SPEC-CONSID: 
FIRST-LANG: Tamil 
ENGL-READ: 4 
ENGL-SPEAK: 4 
ENGL-COMP: 3 
START OTHER-LANGS: 
OTHER-LANG: Sinhala 
OTHER-LANG-ID: SI 
READ: 2 
SPEAK: 3 
COMP: 2 
END OTHER-LANGS: 
START MEMO NOM-POST-OBJ: 
This nomination is in support of MPP strategic goal on 
"Economic Development" 
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: Richard Byess 
START MEMO NOMINATING-JUSTIFICATION: 
Mr. Ramathasan, an engineer by profession, is an 
entrepreneur who has won the Entrepreneur of the Year 
Award in the small industry category for 1997 awarded 
by the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry 
of Sri Lanka.  Mr. Ramathasan is one of the most 
 
 
prominent construction contractors in Jaffna 
specialized in construction of infrastructure 
facilities, buildings, roads and bridges, and water 
sewerage systems in the North and the East.  It is 
admirable his commitment to remain and develop an area 
torn apart by the ethnic war in the country. 
Mr. Ramathasan is the Vice President of the Jaffna 
Chamber of Commerce and Industry that is making a 
significant contribution in promoting economic growth 
through creating links with the other provinces to 
provide new opportunities for the people in the north 
to integrate into mainstream economic activity.  The 
Jaffna Chamber is one of the new regional chambers in 
the country and has a pivotal role to play in economic 
development in the north.  Mr. Ramathasan was 
instrumental in forming the chamber and is the live 
wire in providing leadership to the chamber.  He was 
key to the successful fact finding mission on USAID 
concluded in June this year to plan out our economic 
growth assistance to the north and is going to be an 
important player in implementing USIAD activities soon. 
Mr. Ramathasan has no previous exposure in the U.S. 
Thus, the candidate's participation in the IV program 
on Entrepreneurship in the U.S. represents an excellent 
opportunity to broaden his perspective to provide 
leadership to the business community to re-enter 
mainstream economic activity, expand chamber activities 
in the Northern Province. 
 
END MEMO NOMINATING-JUSTIFICATION: 
NOM-OFF: USAID 
SPEAKER?: No 
NOTIFY-EMB: Yes 
MEDIA?: No 
HOME-STAY: Yes 
HOME-HOSP?: Yes 
E-I-TYPE: 
NOMINEE-ID: 100 
PERSON-ID: 104 
BIRTH-CNTRY-ID: CE 
CITIZ-CNTRY-ID: CE 
RES-CNTRY-ID: CE 
FIRST-LANG-ID: TC 
E-I-TYPE-ID: 
NOM-POST-ID: 2929 
NOM-FUNDING-CNTRY-ID: 
NOM-STATUS: N 
END BIO: 
END NOMINATION: 
 
3. PLEASE ADVISE ACCEPTANCE OF THESE NOMINATIONS. 
WILLS