US embassy cable - 04COLOMBO1233

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 COLOMBO 001233 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR ECA/PE/V/R/N- COLLEEN H. FLEMING; ERICKA V. DIGGINS; AND 
LARRY A. MOODY; SA/PD 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: SCUL, KPAO, OECV, OEXC - Exchanges 
SUBJECT:  FY-04 IV PROGRAM: SINGLE COUNTRY GROUP PROJECT ON 
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS - SIXTH NOMINEE'S DETAIL BIO DATA 
 
REF:  Colombo 0881; 1097 
 
1.  Post submits detail bio data of Mr. Susantha N. Balapatabendi, 
the sixth nominee for the subject group project.  Post confirms 
that this nomination has "full country team approval." 
 
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: 08/21/2004 
SESSION-DATE: 08/23/2004 
RETURN-POST: 09/13/2004 
NO-OF-PART: 5 
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: 
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: 178 
PERSON-ID: 182 
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: 22.9999 
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: 
START BIO: 
PREFIX: Mr. 
F-NAME: SUSANTHA 
M-NAME: NANDADEVA 
L-NAME: BALAPATABENDI 
SUFFIX: 
POSITION-CODE: 321 
PRINCIPAL?: Yes 
GENDER: M 
DOB: 09/11/1965 
MAR-STAT: M 
BIRTH-CITY: Kandy 
BIRTH-CNTRY: Sri Lanka 
CITIZ-CNTRY: Sri Lanka 
RES-CNTRY: Sri Lanka 
START MEMO POSITION: 
State Counsel, Attorney General's Department, 1993 to date 
END MEMO POSITION: 
START MEMO OTHER-POSITIONS: 
END MEMO OTHER-POSITIONS: 
START MEMO PREV-POSITIONS: 
END MEMO PREV-POSITIONS: 
START MEMO US-TRAVEL: 
None 
END MEMO US-TRAVEL: 
START MEMO OTHER-TRAVEL: 
India, 2003 
United Kingdom 1998-1999 
Thailand, 1998 
Malaysia, 1998 
END MEMO OTHER-TRAVEL: 
START MEMO EDUCATION: 
Associated Member Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, UK - area of 
study - LAW OF ARBITRATION 
Master of Laws (LLM) Queen Mary College, University of London 
Attorney at Law,  Supreme Court of Sri Lanka 
END MEMO EDUCATION: 
START MEMO MEMBERSHIPS: 
Life member - Bar Association of Sri Lanka 
Associate Fellow - Society of Advance Legal Studies, United 
Kingdom 
Associate Member - Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, United 
Kingdom 
Member, Alumni Association - International Development Law 
Organization 
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 OTHER-LANGS: 
OTHER-LANG: English 
OTHER-LANG-ID: EN 
READ: 0 
SPEAK: 0 
COMP: 0 
END OTHER-LANGS: 
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: Ms. Angela Gemza 
START MEMO NOMINATING-JUSTIFICATION: 
Mr. Balapatabendiya is a state counsel in the Sri Lankan Attorney 
General Department.  He handles IP related cases for and on behalf 
of the Government.  Mr. Balapatabendi was a member of the 
Intellectual Property Advisory Commission which initiated the new 
Property Act in conformity with TRIPS Agreement.  He is currently 
a member of the IP Core Group in the Attorney General's Department 
and is active in enforcing IP Rights in Sri Lanka. Exposing Mr. 
Balapatabendi to American intellectual property rights protection 
systems will assist in the advancement of IP enforcement in Sri 
Lanka, a critical MPP priority. 
Post confirms that Mr. Balapatabendi has "Full Country Team " 
approval. 
END MEMO NOMINATING-JUSTIFICATION: 
NOM-OFF: 
SPEAKER?: No 
NOTIFY-EMB: Yes 
MEDIA?: No 
HOME-STAY: Yes 
HOME-HOSP?: Yes 
E-I-TYPE: 
NOMINEE-ID: 187 
PERSON-ID: 193 
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: 0 
NOM-STATUS: N 
DS2019-ACTION: 1 
DS2019-SUBJECT: 22.9999 
SPONS-FUNDS: 0 
SPONS-AGENCY1: 
USGOVT-AGENCY1: dos 
US-AGENCY-AMT1: 8000 
USGOVT-AGENCY2: 
US-AGENCY-AMT2: 8000 
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: 
 
2.  Please advise acceptance of this nomination. 
 
LUNSTEAD