US embassy cable - 02COLOMBO2093

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 002093 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR ECA/PE/V/P-ALISON MOYLAN/AZZA MOUNIB ZAKI, 
ECA/PE/V/G/N-ALICE SHIFFLETT; SA/PD 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OEXC, SCUL, KPAO, OEXC - Exchanges 
SUBJECT: FY-2003 IV PROGRAM: SRI LANKAN NOMINATION FOR 
MRP ON "PROTECTION OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS": 
MARCH 13-APRIL 3, 2003 
PROJECT NUMBER: E/VP-2003-0017 
 
REF: (A) COLOMBO 01899, (B) STATE 126593, (C) STATE 
 
50054 
 
1. POST NOMINATES MS. GEETHANJALI RANAWAKA, ASSISTANT 
DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, FOR 
PARTICIPATION IN SUBJECT PROJECT. 
 
2. NOMINATION IS AS FOLLOWS: 
EXPORT-SOURCE: USIS EVDB 
VERSION: 3.0.0 
POST-EMAIL: rscmb@pd.state.gov 
TRANSMITTING-POST: PAS  Colombo 
TRANSMITTING-POST-ID: 2929 
EXPORT-TYPE: BIO DATA 
START NOMINATION: 
USIA-OFFICE: E/VGN 
PROG-AGENCY-NAME: 
POST-PROJ-ID: 66 
USIA-PROJ-NO: E/VP-2003-0017 
PROJ-NAME: Protection of Intellectual Property Rights - 
March 13 - April 3, 2003 
START MEMO PROJ-DESC: 
 
END MEMO PROJ-DESC: 
PROJ-TYPE: Multi-Regional 
PROG-TYPE: IV Grant Visitor 
FY: 2003 
DEPART-POST: 03/11/2003 
SESSION-DATE: 03/13/2003 
RETURN-POST: 04/06/2003 
NO-OF-PART: 1 
RANK-ORDER: 9 
START MEMO POST-OBJ: 
This nomination is in support of MPP strategic 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: 
USIA-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: Intellectual Property Rights 
START BIO: 
PREFIX: Ms. 
F-NAME: Geethanjali 
M-NAME: Rupika 
L-NAME: RANAWAKA 
SUFFIX: 
PRINCIPAL?: Yes 
M-ADDR1: National Intellectual Property Office 
M-ADDR2: "Samagam Medura,"3rd Floor 
M-ADDR3: D.R. Wijewardena Mawatha 
M-CITY: Colombo 10 
M-STATE: 
M-CNTRY: Sri Lanka 
M-ZONE: 
M-ZIP: 
M-PHONE: (94-1) 669-178 
M-FAX: (94-1) 689-367 
M-EMAIL: 
M-CNTRY-ID: CE 
M-ADDRTYPE: B 
GENDER: F 
DOB: 05/23/1965 
MAR-STAT: M 
BIRTH-CITY: Colombo 
BIRTH-CNTRY: Sri Lanka 
CITIZ-CNTRY: Sri Lanka 
RES-CNTRY: Sri Lanka 
START MEMO POSITION: 
Assistant Director, National Intellectual Property, 
1992- to date 
END MEMO POSITION: 
START MEMO OTHER-POSITIONS: 
 
END MEMO OTHER-POSITIONS: 
START MEMO PREV-POSITIONS: 
Attorney-at-Law since 1989 
END MEMO PREV-POSITIONS: 
START MEMO US-TRAVEL: 
None 
END MEMO US-TRAVEL: 
START MEMO OTHER-TRAVEL: 
 
END MEMO OTHER-TRAVEL: 
START MEMO EDUCATION: 
Attorney-at-Law, Sri Lanka Law College, 1989 
Post Attorney Diploma in Intellectual Property, Sri 
Lanka Law College, 
(in collaboration with Asia Pacific Legal Institution 
in Washington, D.C.) 
LL.B. (Final year student) Open University of Sri Lanka 
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 goal on "Open 
Markets" and the Mission strategy to urge 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: Stephen Holgate 
START MEMO NOMINATING-JUSTIFICATION: 
Ms. Ranawaka has served for ten years as the Assistant 
Director of the National Intellectual Property Office 
(NIPO) and, according to the current director, has good 
prospects for becoming the head of the office in the 
future.  The existence and enforcement of strong IPR 
laws are critical to Sri Lanka's economic development, 
especially if it hopes to take advantage of the 
burgeoning IT industry.  IPR issues are central to many 
American investors and to the USG. 
According to the current director of NIPO, Ms. Ranawaka 
is a dedicated officer who will have an increasing 
influence on IPR issues.  An exposure to the American 
scene through the participation in MRP on "Protection 
of Intellectual Property Rights" would provide her with 
a broader perspective of the issues involving IPR and 
related fields and impress upon her the centrality of 
these issues to foreign investment in Sri Lanka.  This 
will also provide an opportunity to establish 
institutional linkages. 
 
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: 97 
PERSON-ID: 64 
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 
END BIO: 
END NOMINATION: 
 
3. PLEASE ADVISE ACCEPTANCE OF THESE NOMINATIONS. 
WILLS