Mr. Thushaan Kunabalasingam, a Sri Lankan Tamil businessman residing in Germany, stated that all diaspora investments in Sri Lanka are driven by deep emotional attachment. He highlighted the significant interest of the German government in Sri Lanka’s education, tourism, and global cruise ship sectors, noting that their investment plans aim to connect the country to the world, focusing particularly on the North and East.
In an interview with Virakesari following his recent working visit to Sri Lanka, where he met with several government stakeholders, Mr. Kunabalasingam elaborated on his initiatives.
He explained that expatriate Sri Lankans worldwide share a profound, emotional connection to their homeland. His company is currently exploring new investment proposals in partnership with both the German and Sri Lankan governments, which has prioritized their plans. During his September visit, he engaged in fruitful discussions with officials from the Board of Investment (BOI), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ports Authority, and the President’s Office.
Initially, the plan was to establish a German factory in India. However, due to his personal preference, the decision was made to relocate the project to Sri Lanka, which will create new job opportunities. He emphasized that Sri Lanka must learn from India’s economic progress to devise new strategies. While many international countries are interested in investing, the government must proactively provide opportunities, as relying solely on international loans will not advance the nation.
Projects for Sri Lanka
Mr. Kunabalasingam’s high-level meetings focused on strengthening long-term economic cooperation in the tourism, education, and passenger cruise shipping sectors. As the Head of Ocean Cruise Line Operations in Asia for the German company Livecookintable, his focus is on enhancing economic ties with the US and Europe, emphasizing sustainable development and maritime tourism.
He met with Dr. Kumanayake at the President’s Office and Minister of Foreign Affairs Vijitha Herath, along with key figures from the BOI, to secure full support for these projects. Discussions were held with the Ports Authority on attracting large international cruise ships (carrying 5,000 to 7,000 passengers) to Sri Lanka’s main ports, thereby positioning the island as a competitive hub in the Indian Ocean.
In his meeting with Deputy Minister Arun Herath Hemachandra, they discussed the role of Public-Private Partnerships in national development and modernizing the tourism sector. Livecookintable aims to fully expand its operations and generate investment in the country by 2027.
Furthermore, he expressed keen interest in expanding the education sector through partnerships with German universities. He visited faculties at the Universities of Colombo (Tourism), Jaffna (Medicine), Rajarata (Tourism), and Moratuwa (Business Economics) to explore creating opportunities for local students to pursue further, free education in Germany.