US embassy cable - 04COLOMBO839

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 COLOMBO 000839 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR ECA/PE/V/M MARGERY BENSON/AZZA MOUNIB-ZAKI 
STATE ALSO FOR 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 MPR 
"PREVENTIVE DIPLOMACY AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION, FEBRUARY 17- 
MARCH 10, 2005. 
PROJECT NO. E/VM-2005-0013 
 
REF:  COLOMBO 00765 
 
1.  Post nominates Gajendran "Ponnambalam" Member of 
Parliament, and Anura R. "Solomons", deputy editor/foreign 
news editor of "Divaina" Sinhala daily newspaper, as 
principle candidates for participation in subject project. 
Post confirms that these nominations have "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: 123 
ECA-PROJ-NO: E/VM-2005-0013 
PROJ-NAME: Preventive Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution - 
February 17-March 10, 2005 
START MEMO PROJ-DESC: 
 
END MEMO PROJ-DESC: 
PROJ-TYPE: Multi-Regional 
PROG-TYPE: IV Grant Visitor 
FY: 2004 
DEPART-POST: 02/15/2005 
SESSION-DATE: 02/17/2005 
RETURN-POST: 03/12/2005 
NO-OF-PART: 2 
RANK-ORDER: 0 
START MEMO POST-OBJ: 
This nomination is in support of MPP goal "Supporting 
democratic system and practices." 
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: Conflict Resolution 
START BIO: 
PREFIX: Mr. 
F-NAME: Gajendrakumar 
M-NAME: Gangaser 
L-NAME: PONNAMBALAM 
SUFFIX: 
POSITION-CODE: 321 
PRINCIPAL?: Yes 
M-ADDR1: 15 Queen's Road 
M-ADDR2: 
M-ADDR3: 
M-CITY: Colombo 3 
M-STATE: 
M-CNTRY: Sri Lanka 
M-ZONE: 
M-ZIP: 
M-PHONE: (94-77) 730-1021 
M-FAX: 
M-EMAIL: 
M-CNTRY-ID: CE 
M-ADDRTYPE: H 
GENDER: M 
DOB: 01/16/1974 
MAR-STAT: S 
BIRTH-CITY: Colombo 
BIRTH-CNTRY: Sri Lanka 
CITIZ-CNTRY: Sri Lanka 
RES-CNTRY: Sri Lanka 
START MEMO POSITION: 
Member of Parliament, April 2004- to date 
END MEMO POSITION: 
START MEMO OTHER-POSITIONS: 
General Secretary, All Ceylon Tamil Congress, January 2004- 
to date 
END MEMO OTHER-POSITIONS: 
START MEMO PREV-POSITIONS: 
1999-Dec. 2000 - Criminal Lawyer, Law Chambers of Mr. Daya 
Perera, P.C. 
END MEMO PREV-POSITIONS: 
START MEMO US-TRAVEL: 
April 2001 - Holiday 
May 2002 - Holiday 
END MEMO US-TRAVEL: 
START MEMO OTHER-TRAVEL: 
Canada - 2001 - Holiday 
United Kingdom - 2002, 2003, 2004 - 
Augustralia - 2002 - Holiday 
END MEMO OTHER-TRAVEL: 
START MEMO EDUCATION: 
LL.B., University of London, 1995 
Barrister-at-Law, Lincoln's Inn, 1997 
END MEMO EDUCATION: 
START MEMO MEMBERSHIPS: 
Member, Central Working Committee, All Ceylon Tamil 
Congress, 1998-2000 
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: 4 
START OTHER-LANGS: 
OTHER-LANG: Sinhala 
OTHER-LANG-ID: SI 
READ: 4 
SPEAK: 4 
COMP: 4 
END OTHER-LANGS: 
START MEMO NOM-POST-OBJ: 
This nomination is in support of MPP goal "Supporting 
Resolution of Regional Conflicts." 
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: Joseph Novak 
START MEMO NOMINATING-JUSTIFICATION: 
Mr. G.G. Ponnambalam, Jr., a criminal lawyer by profession, 
is a successful and dedicated politician in Sri Lanka's war 
torn Northern Province.  Respected as a future political 
leader, Ponnambalam is poised to utilize the lessons 
learned through the subject program during his career. 
This nomination has "full Country Team approval." 
 
END MEMO NOMINATING-JUSTIFICATION: 
NOM-OFF: Political