US embassy cable - 02COLOMBO2261

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 COLOMBO 002261 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR 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 THE REGIONAL PROJECT FOR SOUTH ASIA ON 
"FEDERALISM": JANUARY 13-21, 2003 
 
REF: (A) STATE 231967, (B) ASHIFFLETT/RSANDANAYAKE 
 
E-MAIL OF 12/05/02 
 
1. DUE TO A PERSONAL COMMITMENT, POST'S SECOND 
APPROVED NOMINEE FOR SUBJECT PROJECT, DR. DAYALAN 
AMBALAVANAR, HAS DECLINED ACCEPTING INVITATION TO 
ATTEND PROGRAM.  POST, THEREFORE, WISHES TO 
SUBSTITUTE HIM WITH THE NOMINATION OF MR. KEITH 
NOYAHR, DEPUTY EDITOR, "DAILY MIRROR" - ENGLISH 
DAILY. 
 
2. DETAILED 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: 61 
USIA-PROJ-NO: 
PROJ-NAME: FEDERALISM - JANUARY 13-31, 2003 
START MEMO PROJ-DESC: 
 
END MEMO PROJ-DESC: 
PROJ-TYPE: REGIONAL 
PROG-TYPE: IV GRANT VISITOR 
FY: 2003 
DEPART-POST: 01/11/2003 
SESSION-DATE: 01/13/2003 
RETURN-POST: 02/02/2003 
NO-OF-PART: 2 
RANK-ORDER: 1 
START MEMO POST-OBJ: 
THIS NOMINATION IS IN SUPPORT OF MPP STRATEGIC 
GOALS OF "REGIONAL STABILITY" AND "DEMOCRACY" 
END MEMO POST-OBJ: 
START MEMO POST-RCMD: 
 
END MEMO POST-RCMD: 
USIA-OFFICE-ID: 1039 
PROG-AGENCY-ID: 
PROJ-TYPE-ID: RP 
PROG-TYPE-ID: 29 
NOMINATING-POST-ID: 2929 
FUNDING-CNTRY-ID: 
STATUS: N 
ORIGINATOR: P 
SUBJ-DISC: FEDERALISM/U.S. GOVERNMENT 
 
START BIO: 
PREFIX: MR. 
F-NAME: KEITH 
M-NAME: LEROY 
L-NAME: NOYAHR 
SUFFIX: 
PRINCIPAL?: YES 
M-ADDR1: DAILY MIRROR EDITORIAL 
M-ADDR2: WIJEYA NEWSPAPERS (PVT) LTD. 
M-ADDR3: 8 HUNUPITIYA CROSS ROAD 
M-CITY: COLOMBO 2 
M-STATE: 
M-CNTRY: SRI LANKA 
M-ZONE: 
M-ZIP: 
M-PHONE: (94-1) 300-552 
M-FAX: 
M-EMAIL: 
M-CNTRY-ID: CE 
M-ADDRTYPE: B 
GENDER: M 
DOB: 10/07/1963 
MAR-STAT: M 
BIRTH-CITY: COLOMBO 
BIRTH-CNTRY: SRI LANKA 
CITIZ-CNTRY: SRI LANKA 
RES-CNTRY: SRI LANKA 
START MEMO POSITION: 
DEPUTY EDITOR, DAILY MIRROR, 1997- TO DATE 
END MEMO POSITION: 
START MEMO OTHER-POSITIONS: 
CORRESPONDENT, LONDON TIMEST, 2000- TO DATE 
END MEMO OTHER-POSITIONS: 
START MEMO PREV-POSITIONS: 
FEATURES EDITOR, MIDWEEK MIRROR, 1995-96 
FEATURES EDITOR, SUNDAY TIMES, ALSO RESPONSIBLE 
FOR THE INVESTIGATION DESK, 1994 AUGUST-1995 
CORRESPONDENT, ASSOCIATED PRESS, 1993-JULY 1994 
END MEMO PREV-POSITIONS: 
START MEMO US-TRAVEL: 
 
END MEMO US-TRAVEL: 
START MEMO OTHER-TRAVEL: 
 
END MEMO OTHER-TRAVEL: 
START MEMO EDUCATION: 
B.A., UNIVERSITY OF PERADENIYA, 1995 
ALFRED FRIENDLY PRESS FELLOW, WASHINGTON, D.C., 
1992 
WOLFSON COLLEGE PRESS FELLOW, CAMBRIDGE, U.K., 
1998 
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: ENGLISH 
ENGL-READ: 5 
ENGL-SPEAK: 5 
ENGL-COMP: 5 
START OTHER-LANGS: 
OTHER-LANG: SINHALA 
OTHER-LANG-ID: SI 
READ: 5 
SPEAK: 5 
COMP: 5 
END OTHER-LANGS: 
START MEMO NOM-POST-OBJ: 
THIS NOMINATION IS IN SUPPORT OF MPP STRATEGIC 
GOALS OF "REGIONAL STABILITY" AND "DEMOCRACY" 
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: 
KEITH NOYAHR IS THE DEPUTY EDITOR AND SECOND IN 
COMMAND OF THE POPULAR ENGLISH LANGUAGE 'DAILY 
MORROR' NEWSPAPER.  A MUCH RESPECTED JOURNALIST, 
HE IS IN CHARGE OF ALL EDITORIAL AND OPINION 
ARTICLES FOR THE 'DAILY MIRROR.'  IN ADDITION, HE 
IS ALSO RESPONSIBLE FOR THE FINAL EDITING OF 
DEFENSE AND POLITICAL COLUMNS OF THE NEWSPAPER. 
MR. NOYAHR'S INFLUENCE ON POLICY IS BEST SEEN IN 
SRI LANKA, DURING THE TIME OF ELECTIONS, WHEN SRI 
LANKAN POLITICAL PARTIES PREPARING THEIR ELECTION 
MANIFESTOS PAY CONSIDERABLE ATTENTION TO EDITORIAL 
CONTENT AND OPINION ARTICLES. 
MR. NOYAHR'S INFLUENCE ALSO EXTENDS TO YOUNG UP 
AND COMING JOURNALISTS AS WELL AS HIS SRI LANKAN 
MEDIA COLLEAGUES.  HE IS A VISITING LECTURER AT 
THE JOURNALISM  UNIT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF COLOMBO, 
AND HAS HELD HONORARY POSITION AS AN ELECTED 
EXECUTIVE MEMBER OF THE SRI LANKA WORKING 
JOURNALISTS ASSOCIATION.  AS A CURRENT ACTIVE 
MEMBER OF THIS ASSOCIATION HE STILL WIELDS 
CONSIDERABLE INFLUENCE ON POLICY MATTERS WITHIN 
THE ASSOCIATION. 
WITH HIS INTERESTS AND EXPERIENCE IN POLITICAL 
REPORTING, THE IV PROGRAM ON FEDERALISM WOULD GIVE 
HIM AN OPPORTUNITY TO UNDERSTAND THE AMERICAN 
SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT IN PARTICULAR AND AMERICAN 
CULTURE AND INSTITUTIONS IN GENERAL. 
 
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: 111 
PERSON-ID: 58 
BIRTH-CNTRY-ID: CE 
CITIZ-CNTRY-ID: CE 
RES-CNTRY-ID: CE 
FIRST-LANG-ID: EN 
E-I-TYPE-ID: 
NOM-POST-ID: 2929 
NOM-FUNDING-CNTRY-ID: 
NOM-STATUS: N 
END BIO: 
END NOMINATION: 
 
3. PLEASE ADVISE ACCEPTANCE OF THIS NOMINATION. 
WILLS