US embassy cable - 05COLOMBO732

UNCLAS COLOMBO 000732 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR ECA/PE/V 
SA/INS (CAMP, DEAN) SA/PD (SCENSNY, ROGERS, HUDSON-DEAN); 
 
E.O. 12958:N/A 
TAGS: PREL, KPAO, PTER, EAID, CE, Political Parties, Tsunami 
SUBJECT:  International Visitor Request:  Sri Lankan MP's 
Wish to Look at Disaster Preparedness in the U.S. 
 
 
1. (U) A group of seven Sri Lankan Members of Parliament 
(MP) have requested a fully-funded trip of a week to ten 
days' duration to visit Hawaii, California and Washington, 
D.C., in order to look at how the U.S. prepares for and 
responds to natural disasters.  The group would like to 
visit the Tsunami warning center in Hawaii, centers for 
earthquake detection and preparedness in California, and the 
U.S. Geological Survey and Office of Foreign Disaster 
Assistance in Washington, D.C.  The group is part of a 
larger Select Committee on Disaster Management formed after 
the December 2004 tsunami.  Part of the committee has 
already visited similar centers in Europe, another group 
went to Japan, and the third group, headed by the Speaker of 
Parliament, would like to visit the U.S. 
 
2. (U) The group proposes that the Speaker be accompanied by 
five other MP's representing different political parties, 
both in the governing coalition and in the opposition, along 
with one parliamentary staffer.  They must deliver a report 
on their trip by May 10, so they seek to travel during the 
first week of May.  The Chairman of the Select Committee, 
Mahinda Samarasinghe, told PAO they had no funds to finance 
such a trip. 
 
3. (U)  Post feels the purpose of the trip is worthwhile and 
would result in useful knowledge about disaster preparedness 
and prevention being transmitted to the government and the 
public.  Such knowledge, and links with American centers 
working in this field, could prove vital in the event of 
another tsunami or large earthquake.  This is also a rare 
example for Sri Lanka of multi-party cooperation, a trend we 
would like to encourage.  Nevertheless, we fully realize the 
request as stated surpasses the ability of ECA to plan or 
finance it in such a short time frame.  We would like, 
however, to be able to go back  to the Committee and offer a 
counter-proposal, such as a partially funded trip to Hawaii 
and California only, for a fewer number of people.  Post 
requests ECA/PE/V and SA/PPD look at feasibility of funding 
a three-person group to visit only one or two of the 
requested locations.  If SA/PPD tells us what might be 
possible, we will discuss it with the committee members and 
determine if they are still interested.  Post regrets short 
time frame, but the head of the committee, who organizes 
such trips, has been away in Singapore the past two weeks 
and was unavailable to discuss specifics. 
 
Lunstead