US embassy cable - 04COLOMBO810

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 COLOMBO 000810 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR ECA/PE/V/M JANET BEARD/AZZA MOUNIB-ZAKI; INFO 
ECA/PE/V/R/N/-LARRY A. MOODY, SA/PD 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OEXC, SCUL, KPAO, OEXC - Exchanges 
SUBJECT:  FY 05 IV PROGRAM: SRI LANKAN NOMINEE FOR MRP 
"U.S. TRADE AND THE WORLD ECONOMY I", OCTOBER 28-NOVEMBER 
18, 2004. 
PROJECT NO. E/VM-2005-0004 
 
REF: COLOMBO 00765 
 
1. Post nominates Dushni "Weerakoon", Research Fellow, 
Institute of Policy Studies, for participation in 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: tilakawardenac@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: 126 
ECA-PROJ-NO: E/VM-2005-0004 
PROJ-NAME: U.S. Trade Policy and the World Economy I - 
October 28-November 18, 2004 
START MEMO PROJ-DESC: 
 
END MEMO PROJ-DESC: 
PROJ-TYPE: Multi-Regional 
PROG-TYPE: IV Grant Visitor 
FY: 2004 
DEPART-POST: 10/26/2004 
SESSION-DATE: 10/28/2004 
RETURN-POST: 11/20/2004 
NO-OF-PART: 1 
RANK-ORDER: 0 
START MEMO POST-OBJ: 
This nomination is in support of MPP goals on "Economic 
Growth and Development " 
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: Economics (General) 
START BIO: 
PREFIX: Dr. 
F-NAME: Dushni 
M-NAME: 
L-NAME: Weerakoon 
SUFFIX: 
POSITION-CODE: 113 
PRINCIPAL?: Yes 
M-ADDR1: Institute of Policy Studies 
M-ADDR2: 99 St. Michael's Road 
M-ADDR3: 
M-CITY: Colombo 3 
M-STATE: 
M-CNTRY: Sri Lanka 
M-ZONE: 
M-ZIP: 
M-PHONE: (94-1) 243-1368 
M-FAX: 
M-EMAIL: 
M-CNTRY-ID: CE 
M-ADDRTYPE: B 
GENDER: F 
DOB: 07/29/1966 
MAR-STAT: M 
BIRTH-CITY: Colombo 
BIRTH-CNTRY: Sri Lanka 
CITIZ-CNTRY: Sri Lanka 
RES-CNTRY: Sri Lanka 
START MEMO POSITION: 
Research Fellow, Institute of Policy Studies (IPS), August 
1994-  to date 
END MEMO POSITION: 
START MEMO OTHER-POSITIONS: 
 
END MEMO OTHER-POSITIONS: 
START MEMO PREV-POSITIONS: 
International Trade Consultant, UN-ESCAP, Bangkok October- 
December 1997 
(assisted in writing of report on "Economic and Social 
Survey of Asia and the Pacific 1998") 
END MEMO PREV-POSITIONS: 
START MEMO US-TRAVEL: 
 
END MEMO US-TRAVEL: 
START MEMO OTHER-TRAVEL: 
1986-94 - U.K.: For studies 
1997  - (three months) Bangkok, Thailand: Consultant at UN- 
ESCAP 
END MEMO OTHER-TRAVEL: 
START MEMO EDUCATION: 
B.Sc. in Econ. with First Class Honors, Queen's University 
of Belfast, Northern Ireland, U.K., 1989; 
MA (Econ) in Development Economics, University of 
Manchester, U.K., 1990; 
Ph.D. in Economics, University of Manchester, U.K., 1994 
 
END MEMO EDUCATION: 
START MEMO MEMBERSHIPS: 
Member, Sri Lanka Economists Association 
END MEMO MEMBERSHIPS: 
START MEMO PUBLICATIONS: 
Editor, "Sri Lanka Economic Journal" 
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 "Economic 
Growth and 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: Dean Thompson 
START MEMO NOMINATING-JUSTIFICATION: 
Dr. Weerakoon is attached to the Institute of Policy 
Studies (IPS), a leading think tank in Colombo and is 
currently in full time employment with the GSL's Regaining 
Sri Lanka and FTA initiatives.  She has published 
extensively on subjects related to international finance 
and international trade covering WTO, Globalization, South 
Asian regional cooperation, openness of the Sri Lankan 
economy, capital account liberalization, and implications 
of MFA withdrawal.  She has also authored several research 
publications of the Government of Sri Lanka and several 
international institutions in Japan, India, and Bangladesh. 
Dr. Weerakoon, a much sort after speaker at various 
seminars organized by the Economists Association and the 
Central Bank, is the editor of the SRI LANKA ECONOMIC 
JOURNAL (journal of the Sri Lanka Economic Association) and 
the Managing Editor of the SOUTH ASIA ECONOMIC JOURNAL - 
Sage Publications, New Delhi.  She is one of the key 
speakers at usual post (GSL) budget seminars in Colombo and 
has presented papers at various international seminars. 
Being one of the most respected economic analysts in Sri 
Lanka, and with excellent academic record and extensive 
research experience, Dr. Weerakoon is a key player in Sri 
Lanka's economic/trade policy formulation. Due to her 
current role in the FTA preparation process, Dushni is an 
ideal candidate for the MRP on "US Trade Policy and the 
World Economy." 
This nomination has "full Country Team approval." 
 
 
END MEMO NOMINATING-JUSTIFICATION: 
NOM-OFF: Econ 
SPEAKER?: No 
NOTIFY-EMB: Yes 
MEDIA?: No 
HOME-STAY: Yes 
HOME-HOSP?: Yes 
E-I-TYPE: 
NOMINEE-ID: 166 
PERSON-ID: 63 
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: 45.0601 
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