US embassy cable - 04COLOMBO840

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 COLOMBO 000840 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR ECA/PE/V/M ALISON MOYLAN/DEBORAH THOMPSON 
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 MRP 
"TV BROADCAST JOURNALISM", APRIL 7-28, 2005. 
PROJECT NO. E/VM-2005-0019 
 
REF:  COLOMBO 00765 
 
1.  Post nominates T.M.G. "Chandrasekera" Deputy Director 
News and Current Affairs, Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation, 
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: 114 
ECA-PROJ-NO: E/VM-2005-0019 
PROJ-NAME: TV Broadcast Journalism -April 7-28, 2005 
START MEMO PROJ-DESC: 
 
END MEMO PROJ-DESC: 
PROJ-TYPE: Multi-Regional 
PROG-TYPE: IV Grant Visitor 
FY: 2004 
DEPART-POST: 04/05/2005 
SESSION-DATE: 04/07/2005 
RETURN-POST: 04/30/2005 
NO-OF-PART: 1 
RANK-ORDER: 0 
START MEMO POST-OBJ: 
This nomination is in support of MPP goal on "Democratic 
Systems 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: Broadcast Journalism 
START BIO: 
PREFIX: Mr. 
F-NAME: Tennekoon 
M-NAME: M. Gunawardena 
L-NAME: CHANDRASEKERA 
SUFFIX: 
POSITION-CODE: 610 
PRINCIPAL?: Yes 
M-ADDR1: News Division 
M-ADDR2: Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation 
M-ADDR3: Independence Square 
M-CITY: Colombo 7 
M-STATE: 
M-CNTRY: Sri Lanka 
M-ZONE: 
M-ZIP: 
M-PHONE: (94-777) 726-4062 
M-FAX: (94-11) 258-0134 
M-EMAIL: tmgc@email.com 
M-CNTRY-ID: CE 
M-ADDRTYPE: B 
GENDER: M 
DOB: 11/12/1959 
MAR-STAT: M 
BIRTH-CITY: Ratmalgahaweva 
BIRTH-CNTRY: Sri Lanka 
CITIZ-CNTRY: Sri Lanka 
RES-CNTRY: Sri Lanka 
START MEMO POSITION: 
Deputy Director, News and Current Affairs, Sri Lanka 
Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC), December 2003- to date 
END MEMO POSITION: 
START MEMO OTHER-POSITIONS: 
TV program presenter and moderator for live programs, 1995- 
to date 
END MEMO OTHER-POSITIONS: 
START MEMO PREV-POSITIONS: 
1995-2003 - Producer and Assistant Director, News and 
Current Affairs, SLRC 
1986-95 - Editor, Economic Review of Saturday Divaina 
1986-95 - Editorial writer and feature writer of Saturday 
Divaina and 
 
END MEMO PREV-POSITIONS: 
START MEMO US-TRAVEL: 
September 1999 - To cover president's participation at the 
IMF - G 24 Summit 
END MEMO US-TRAVEL: 
START MEMO OTHER-TRAVEL: 
Bangladesh - January 2004 - 12th SAARC Summit 
Canada - 1999 - International Conference on Federalism 
Scotland - 1997 - Commonwealth Summit 
China - 1996 - To cover president's visit to China 
END MEMO OTHER-TRAVEL: 
START MEMO EDUCATION: 
B.A. Hons. in Philosophy, University of Kelaniya, 1984 
END MEMO EDUCATION: 
START MEMO MEMBERSHIPS: 
Member, Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association 
END MEMO MEMBERSHIPS: 
START MEMO PUBLICATIONS: 
 
END MEMO PUBLICATIONS: 
START MEMO SPEC-CONSID: 
 
END MEMO SPEC-CONSID: 
FIRST-LANG: Sinhala 
ENGL-READ: 3 
ENGL-SPEAK: 3 
ENGL-COMP: 3 
START MEMO NOM-POST-OBJ: 
This nomination is in support of MPP goal on "Democratic 
Systems and Practices" 
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: 
TMG Chandrasekera was introduced live programming via 
Rupavahini on the use and advantages of the Internet. As 
this was aired on national TV, the program reached the 
grassroots.  A visiting lecturer at the University of 
Peradeniya, TMGC has conducted video program production 
workshop and has interviewed several top government 
officials including the president of Sri Lanka.  He is a 
key contact of the Press Section, always taking the trouble 
to assign the best in the station for interviews.  Our 
press events in Colombo and outstations have been well 
taken care of by him. 
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: 153 
PERSON-ID: 160 
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: 09.0402 
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