US embassy cable - 04COLOMBO881

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 07 COLOMBO 000881 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR ECA/PE/V/R/N - COLLEEN H. FLEMING AND ERICKA V. DIGGINS 
ALSO FOR SA/PD - LARRY A. MOODY 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: SCUL, KPAO, OECV, OEXC - Exchanges 
SUBJECT:  FY-04 IV PROGRAM:  SINGLE COUNTRY GROUP PROJECT ON 
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS:  AUGUST 23-SEPTEMBER 11, 2004 
 
REF:  Lohof/Fleming message of April 19 
 
1.  Post nominates the following five candidates for 
participation in the subject project. The Fifth nominee's 
detailed bio would follow in separate cable.  Post confirms 
that these nominations have "full country team approval." 
 
2.  Nominations are as follow: 
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: 134 
ECA-PROJ-NO: 
PROJ-NAME: Single Country Group Project on Intellectual 
Property Rights - August 23-September 11, 2004 
START MEMO PROJ-DESC: 
 
END MEMO PROJ-DESC: 
PROJ-TYPE: Single Country Project 
PROG-TYPE: IV Grant Visitor 
FY: 2004 
DEPART-POST: 8/21/2004 
SESSION-DATE: 8/23/2004 
RETURN-POST: 9/13/2004 
NO-OF-PART: 4 
RANK-ORDER: 0 
START MEMO POST-OBJ: 
This nomination is in support of MPP goals on "Open 
Markets" and the mission strategy to urge the GSL to 
enforce vigorously newly enacted IPR legislation 
END MEMO POST-OBJ: 
START MEMO POST-RCMD: 
 
END MEMO POST-RCMD: 
ECA-OFFICE-ID: 1039 
PROG-AGENCY-ID: 
PROJ-TYPE-ID: SCP 
PROG-TYPE-ID: 29 
NOMINATING-POST-ID: 2929 
FUNDING-CNTRY-ID: 
STATUS: N 
ORIGINATOR: P 
SUBJ-DISC: Intellectual Property Rights 
START BIO: 
PREFIX: Mr. 
F-NAME: Kankani 
M-NAME: Tantri 
L-NAME: CHITRASIRI 
SUFFIX: 
POSITION-CODE: 117 
PRINCIPAL?: Yes 
M-ADDR1: Commercial High Court 
M-ADDR2: Superior Courts Complex 
M-ADDR3: Hultsdorf 
M-CITY: Colombo 12 
M-STATE: 
M-CNTRY: Sri Lanka 
M-ZONE: 
M-ZIP: 
M-PHONE: (94-11) 244-1150 
M-FAX: 
M-EMAIL: 
M-CNTRY-ID: CE 
M-ADDRTYPE: B 
GENDER: M 
DOB: 04/13/1953 
MAR-STAT: M 
BIRTH-CITY: Ambalangoda 
BIRTH-CNTRY: Sri Lanka 
CITIZ-CNTRY: Sri Lanka 
RES-CNTRY: Sri Lanka 
START MEMO POSITION: 
Commercial High Court Judge, 2003- to date 
END MEMO POSITION: 
START MEMO OTHER-POSITIONS: 
 
END MEMO OTHER-POSITIONS: 
START MEMO PREV-POSITIONS: 
2001-2003 - High Court Judge 
1987-2001 - District Judge, Colombo 
1984-87 - Magistrate, Colombo and other key districts 
1980-84 - Primary Court Judge 
1979-80 - Officer in the Legal Draftsman's Department 
END MEMO PREV-POSITIONS: 
START MEMO US-TRAVEL: 
 
END MEMO US-TRAVEL: 
START MEMO OTHER-TRAVEL: 
END MEMO OTHER-TRAVEL: 
START MEMO EDUCATION: 
LL.B., University of Colombo, 1975 
Attorney-at-Law, Sri Lanka Law College, 1977 
Course leading to MA in IPR, Queen Mary College, University 
of London, 2001-2002 
(could not complete due to personal problem) 
END MEMO EDUCATION: 
START MEMO MEMBERSHIPS: 
 
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 "Open 
Markets" and the mission strategy to urge the GSL to 
enforce vigorously newly enacted IPR legislation 
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: 
As the Commercial High Court Judge of Colombo, Mr. 
Chitrasiri hears all legal disputes in the commercial 
sector including IPR infringements.  With his long record 
in Sri Lanka's judiciary, he has a special interest in IPR. 
The existence and enforcement of strong IPR laws are 
critical to Sri Lanka's economic development.  If giving 
Chitrasiri an opportunity to acquaint himself with the 
American