SPECIAL FY-2004 MRP "YOUNG LEADERS: EFFECTING

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 COLOMBO 000750

SIPDIS

STATE FOR ECA/PE/V/R/N-LARRY A. MOODY
INFO: SA/PD

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OEXC SCUL KPAO OEXC
SUBJECT: SPECIAL FY-2004 MRP "YOUNG LEADERS: EFFECTING
SOCIAL, POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC CHANGE" -
SEPTEMBER 7-24, 2004: SRI LANKAN NOMINATIONS
PROJECT NUMBER: E/VGV-2004-0105

REF: STATE 071073


1. POST NOMINATES MS. CHAMPIKA LIYANARACHCHI, POLITICAL
COLUMNIST/DEPUTY FEATURES EDITOR, "DAILY MIRROR," AS
THE PRINCIPAL CANDIDATE AND MR. SEEVALI AMITIRIGALA,
LECTURER, SRI LANKA LAW COLLEGE, AS THE ALTERNATE FOR
PARTICIPATION IN THE SUBJECT PROJECT. POST CONFIRMS
THAT THIS NOMINATION HAS "FULL COUNTRY TEAM APPROVAL."


2. NOMINATION IS AS FOLLOWS:
START FIXED-FORMAT TEXT (PLEASE DO NOT EDIT):
: The following data is in a fixed format which enables
: automated processing in Washington and should not be
: edited except by means of the Post-EVDB software.
EXPORT-SOURCE: POST-EVDB
VERSION: 3.0.7
POST-EMAIL: rscmb@pd.state.gov
TRANSMITTING-POST: PAS Colombo
TRANSMITTING-POST-ID: 2929
EXPORT-TYPE: BIO DATA
START NOMINATION:
ECA-OFFICE: E/VGN
PROG-AGENCY-NAME:
POST-PROJ-ID: 110
ECA-PROJ-NO: E/VGN-2004-0105
PROJ-NAME: Young Leaders: Effecting Social, Political
and Economic Change - September 7-24, 2004
START MEMO PROJ-DESC:

END MEMO PROJ-DESC:
PROJ-TYPE: Multi-Regional
PROG-TYPE: IV Grant Visitor
FY: 2004
DEPART-POST: 09/05/2004
SESSION-DATE: 09/07/2004
RETURN-POST: 09/26/2004
NO-OF-PART: 2
RANK-ORDER: 1
START MEMO POST-OBJ:
This nomination is in support of MPP goals on Democracy
END MEMO POST-OBJ:
START MEMO POST-RCMD:

END MEMO POST-RCMD:
ECA-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: Social Issues
START BIO:
PREFIX: Ms.
F-NAME: Champika
M-NAME:
L-NAME: LIYANARACHCHI
SUFFIX:
POSITION-CODE: 622
PRINCIPAL?: Yes
M-ADDR1: Daily Mirror Editorial
M-ADDR2: Wijeya Newspapers Ltd.
M-ADDR3: Hunupitiya Cross Road
M-CITY: Colombo 2
M-STATE:
M-CNTRY: Sri Lanka
M-ZONE:
M-ZIP:
M-PHONE: (0094) 777-530-429
M-FAX: (0094) 533-0811
M-EMAIL: champikal@hotmail.com
M-CNTRY-ID: CE
M-ADDRTYPE: B
GENDER: F
DOB: 09/09/1970
MAR-STAT: S
BIRTH-CITY: Colombo
BIRTH-CNTRY: Sri Lanka
CITIZ-CNTRY: Sri Lanka
RES-CNTRY: Sri Lanka
START MEMO POSITION:
Deputy Features Editor/Political Columnist, June 1996-
to date
END MEMO POSITION:
START MEMO OTHER-POSITIONS:
Colombo Correspondent, Reporters Sans Frontiers, July
2003- to date
Country Representative, Oneworld - Yahoo News Website,
April 2003- to date
END MEMO OTHER-POSITIONS:
START MEMO PREV-POSITIONS:

END MEMO PREV-POSITIONS:
START MEMO US-TRAVEL:
None
END MEMO US-TRAVEL:
START MEMO OTHER-TRAVEL:
India - 1992 - Participated in the First Asian
Development Forum; September 2003 - Regional meeting
Oneworld
Japan - 2002 - Fellowship at Foreign Press Center,
Japan
U.K. - February 2003 - Participated at the Bi-annual
Conference of the Commonwealth Journalists
END MEMO OTHER-TRAVEL:
START MEMO EDUCATION:
B.A. in English Literature, University of Colombo, 2002
END MEMO EDUCATION:
START MEMO MEMBERSHIPS:
Member, Executive Committee, Commonwealth Journalists'
Association
END MEMO MEMBERSHIPS:
START MEMO PUBLICATIONS:

END MEMO PUBLICATIONS:
START MEMO SPEC-CONSID:
Vegetarian
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 MPP goals on
Democracy.
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: Bruce A. Lohof
START MEMO NOMINATING-JUSTIFICATION:
Champika holds a very senior position at Wijeya
Newspapers. She is responsible for the weekly
political column in the "Daily Mirror" and oversees the
work of junior writers. Her keen interest in conflict
theories-concepts-political economy of conflicts --
constitutional and legal aspects of conflict processes
-- encourages her to portray an analytical view of the
political scene. She is a key contact of the press
section and has a high sense of responsibility
regarding US stories are carried. Champika has never
visited the U.S. Her participation at this MRP on
'Young Leaders: Effecting Social, Political and
Economic Change' will give her the necessary exposure
to influence her readership in Sri Lanka.

Post confirms that this nomination has "full country
team approval."

END MEMO NOMINATING-JUSTIFICATION:
NOM-OFF: Public Affairs
SPEAKER?: No
NOTIFY-EMB: Yes
MEDIA?: No
HOME-STAY: Yes
HOME-HOSP?: Yes
E-I-TYPE:
NOMINEE-ID: 147
PERSON-ID: 150
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
DS2019-ACTION: 1
DS2019-SUBJECT: 39.0702
SPONS-FUNDS: 0
SPONS-AGENCY1: DOS
USGOVT-AGENCY1: DOS
US-AGENCY-AMT1: 8000
USGOVT-AGENCY2:
US-AGENCY-AMT2: 0
INTL-ORG1:
INTL-ORG-AMOUNT1: 0
INTL-ORG2:
INTL-ORG-AMOUNT2: 0
VIS-GOVT-AMT: 0
COMMISSION: 0
OTHER-AMOUNT: 0
VIS-AMOUNT: 0
VIS-CAT: 5
END BIO:
START BIO:
PREFIX: Mr.
F-NAME: Seevali
M-NAME: Indrajith
L-NAME: AMITIRIGALA
SUFFIX:
POSITION-CODE: 321
PRINCIPAL?: No
M-ADDR1: 18D Devala Road
M-ADDR2: Pagoda
M-ADDR3:
M-CITY: Nugegoda
M-STATE:
M-CNTRY: Sri Lanka
M-ZONE:
M-ZIP:
M-PHONE: (94-11) 282-3154
M-FAX:
M-EMAIL: seevali@itmin.com
M-CNTRY-ID: CE
M-ADDRTYPE: H
GENDER: M
DOB: 02/17/1974
MAR-STAT: S
BIRTH-CITY: Colombo
BIRTH-CNTRY: Sri Lanka
CITIZ-CNTRY: Sri Lanka
RES-CNTRY: Sri Lanka
START MEMO POSITION:
Lecturer, Sri Lanka Law College, 2002- to date
END MEMO POSITION:
START MEMO OTHER-POSITIONS:
Lecturer, Royal Institute, 2001- to date
END MEMO OTHER-POSITIONS:
START MEMO PREV-POSITIONS:
1995-2000 - Political Coordinator, United National
Party
1988-1994 - Political Coordinator, Sri Lanka Freedom
Party
END MEMO PREV-POSITIONS:
START MEMO US-TRAVEL:
None
END MEMO US-TRAVEL:
START MEMO OTHER-TRAVEL:
U.K. - 1999-2000 - Studies
India - 1995 - Holiday
END MEMO OTHER-TRAVEL:
START MEMO EDUCATION:
Attorney-at-Law, Sri Lanka Law College, 1996
Masters in Law-B LL., King's College London, University
of London, 2000
END MEMO EDUCATION:
START MEMO MEMBERSHIPS:
Member, Sri Lanka Bar Association
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 MPP goals on
Democracy.
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: Chris J. Long
START MEMO NOMINATING-JUSTIFICATION:
Seevali Amitirigala is an attorney-at-law who has been
involved with Sri Lankan politics for several years.
Educated in Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom,
Amitirigala has experiences with the two major Sri
Lankan political parties. In his role as a lecturer at
the Sri Lanka law school, he will have significant
influence on future Sri Lankan attorneys and judges.
Amitirigala has never visited the U.S. Through his
participation in this IV program USG could influence
his outlook as well as strengthening Mission ties with
this contact.

Post confirms that this nomination has "full country
team approval."

END MEMO NOMINATING-JUSTIFICATION:
NOM-OFF: Political
SPEAKER?: No
NOTIFY-EMB: Yes
MEDIA?: No
HOME-STAY: Yes
HOME-HOSP?: Yes
E-I-TYPE:
NOMINEE-ID: 148
PERSON-ID: 154
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: 0
NOM-STATUS: N
DS2019-ACTION: 1
DS2019-SUBJECT: 39.0702
SPONS-FUNDS: 0
SPONS-AGENCY1: DOS
USGOVT-AGENCY1: DOS
US-AGENCY-AMT1: 8000
USGOVT-AGENCY2:
US-AGENCY-AMT2: 0
INTL-ORG1:
INTL-ORG-AMOUNT1: 0
INTL-ORG2:
INTL-ORG-AMOUNT2: 0
VIS-GOVT-AMT: 0
COMMISSION: 0
OTHER-AMOUNT: 0
VIS-AMOUNT: 0
VIS-CAT: 5
END BIO:
END NOMINATION:
END FIXED-FORMAT TEXT:


3. PLEASE ADVISE ACCEPTANCE OF THIS NOMINATION.
LUNSTEAD