BURMA: NOMINATION FOR APRIL 2-13 FSN POLITICAL

UNCLAS RANGOON 000144 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/MLS; DIR FSINATC ATTENTION SPAS/POL HAITHAM AL-MUSSAWI E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: AFSI AFSN AMGT PGOV PREL BM SUBJECT: BURMA: NOMINATION FOR APRIL 2-13 FSN POLITICAL TRAINING REF: SECSTATE 4727 ¶1. SUMMARY: Embassy Rangoon enthusiastically nominates Mr. Arthur Aye, Political/Economic Specialist, to attend the April 2-13 Political Training Course for FSNs at FSI. In a country that is on the frontline of transformational diplomacy, where our FSNs work in an extremely oppressive environment and face host government surveillance and intimidation on a daily basis, Arthur boldly overcomes every obstacle to cover some of the most sensitive political issues, including human rights, religious freedom, ethnic minorities and insurgencies, and political parties. He meets daily with government officials, journalists, lawyers, religious leaders, political activists, and ethnic leaders, and, despite his short tenure so far at post, is one of the best drafters and information-gatherers on our mission team. The additional training that this FSI program offers will further improve his skills, help him interact with an even wider range of contacts, and gain a better understanding of U.S. interests and priorities to enhance his work at post. END SUMMARY. ¶2. Arthur Aye serves in the Political/Economic Section of Embassy Rangoon as an FSN-8 Political/Economic Assistant. He has strong English language skills, both speaking and writing. He is currently enrolled in FSI's SWAN 2 PY211 Intermediate/Advanced Writing online course and is making excellent progress. Since joining the section, he has drafted several highly regarded reporting cables. He began employment with Embassy Rangoon on May 22, 2006, so will have served approximately one year by the time he takes this course. Arthur Aye has never visited the United States and has not had any prior FSN training, nor has he ever been nominated for the political training course. The training course is exactly what he needs to equip him to work more effectively in the repressive environment of Burma. ¶3. Arthur is a keen learner and has demonstrated remarkable ability to grasp new concepts in a short time. He has developed a broad scope of very useful contacts in the community and has delivered outstanding performance when called on to fill in for his more senior P/E FSN colleagues when they were away. He has also accompanied several visitors from the State Department on trips inside Burma and earned rave reviews for his excellent skills as a translator and for his political and cultural advice. ¶4. Since joining the P/E section, Arthur has helped to build an even stronger team spirit among his FSN colleagues and has fostered an environment of sharing mutually valuable information. As a measure of the high respect he enjoys among all the FSNs in the mission, Arthur was selected to serve as Secretary of Post's FSN Committee just six months after he was first hired. He is an enthusiastic worker and has expressed a desire to work for the Embassy for the long-term future. ¶5. If Arthur is selected, post will coordinate with EAP/MLS to arrange additional consultations outside of his classes, including meetings with the incoming Political Officer, Economic Officer, and new transformational diplomacy officer coming to post this summer. We urge you to give Arthur Aye your strongest consideration for this upcoming political training course, which could not come at a better time to enhance the skills of our new political/economic team as they prepare for their important work ahead. VILLAROSA