US embassy cable - 03COLOMBO1041

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 COLOMBO 001041 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR ECA/PE/V/P-JANET BEARD/SEQUITA ROBINSON; 
INFO: ECA/PE/V/G/N-ALICE SHIFFLETT; SA/PD 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OEXC, SCUL, KPAO, OEXC - Exchanges 
SUBJECT: FY-2004 IV PROGRAM: SRI LANKAN NOMINATION FOR 
MRP ON "PRINT JOURNALISM": FEBRUARY 19-MARCH 11, 2004 
PROJECT NUMBER: E/VP-2004-0012 
 
REF: (A) STATE 085489, (B) COLOMBO 0676 
 
1. POST NOMINATES MR. PRABATH SAHABANDU, DEPUTY EDITOR, 
"THE ISLAND" - CENTRIST ENGLISH DAILY, FOR 
PARTICIPATION IN SUBJECT PROJECT. 
 
2. NOMINATION IS AS FOLLOWS: 
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: 3.0.5 
POST-EMAIL: rscmb@pd.state.gov 
TRANSMITTING-POST: PAS  Colombo 
TRANSMITTING-POST-ID: 2929 
EXPORT-TYPE: BIO DATA 
START NOMINATION: 
ECA-OFFICE: E/VP 
PROG-AGENCY-NAME: 
POST-PROJ-ID: 87 
ECA-PROJ-NO: E/VP-2004-0012 
PROJ-NAME: Print Journalism - February 19-March 11, 
2004 
START MEMO PROJ-DESC: 
 
END MEMO PROJ-DESC: 
PROJ-TYPE: Multi-Regional 
PROG-TYPE: IV Group Projects 
FY: 2004 
DEPART-POST: 02/17/2004 
SESSION-DATE: 02/19/2004 
RETURN-POST: 03/14/2004 
NO-OF-PART: 1 
RANK-ORDER: 6 
START MEMO POST-OBJ: 
This nomination is in support of MPP goals on 
"Democracy" and "Mutual Understanding" 
END MEMO POST-OBJ: 
START MEMO POST-RCMD: 
 
END MEMO POST-RCMD: 
ECA-OFFICE-ID: 1027 
PROG-AGENCY-ID: 
PROJ-TYPE-ID: MRP 
PROG-TYPE-ID: 31 
NOMINATING-POST-ID: 2929 
FUNDING-CNTRY-ID: 
STATUS: N 
ORIGINATOR: P 
SUBJ-DISC: Print Journalism 
START BIO: 
PREFIX: Mr. 
F-NAME: Prabath 
M-NAME: 
L-NAME: SAHABANDU 
SUFFIX: 
POSITION-CODE: 0 
PRINCIPAL?: Yes 
M-ADDR1: Upali Newspapers Ltd. 
M-ADDR2: 223 Bloemendhal Road 
M-ADDR3: 
M-CITY: Colombo 13 
M-STATE: 
M-CNTRY: Sri Lanka 
M-ZONE: 
M-ZIP: 
M-PHONE: (94-74) 609-174 
M-FAX: 
M-EMAIL: 
M-CNTRY-ID: CE 
M-ADDRTYPE: B 
GENDER: M 
DOB: 10/29/1962 
MAR-STAT: M 
BIRTH-CITY: Colombo 
BIRTH-CNTRY: Sri Lanka 
CITIZ-CNTRY: Sri Lanka 
RES-CNTRY: Sri Lanka 
START MEMO POSITION: 
Deputy Editor, The Island (centrist English daily), 
March 1999- to date 
END MEMO POSITION: 
START MEMO OTHER-POSITIONS: 
Features  Editor, Daily Island, 1992- to date 
END MEMO OTHER-POSITIONS: 
START MEMO PREV-POSITIONS: 
Senior Journalist, Island editorial, 1990-1992 
END MEMO PREV-POSITIONS: 
START MEMO US-TRAVEL: 
2000 (two weeks) - Cochram Fellowship 
1992 (eight months) Asia Foundation Berkeley Fellowship 
END MEMO US-TRAVEL: 
START MEMO OTHER-TRAVEL: 
 
END MEMO OTHER-TRAVEL: 
START MEMO EDUCATION: 
B.A., University of Peradeniya, 1991 
Post Graduate Diploma in Sociology, 1997 
END MEMO EDUCATION: 
START MEMO MEMBERSHIPS: 
 
END MEMO MEMBERSHIPS: 
START MEMO PUBLICATIONS: 
 
END MEMO PUBLICATIONS: 
START MEMO SPEC-CONSID: 
Nominee is a vegetarian and a non smoker 
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 
"Democracy" and "Mutual Understanding" 
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: Bruce A. Lohof 
START MEMO NOMINATING-JUSTIFICATION: 
Over time many of 'The Island's feisty editorials have 
brought them into conflict both with governments in 
power and opposition parties. However they have held 
their own and now has a strong foothold and a wide 
readership in the country.  'The Island' continues to 
strongly voice its concerns about the on going peace 
process and its mistrust of the LTTE and is criticized 
in some quarters for its ''racist Sinhala policy." 
Prabath has made quite an effort to place the press 
releases and other material circulated by the Mission 
in the centrist English daily he is responsible for. 
This type of exposure will enhance his skills while 
helping the Mission in meeting its strategic 
objectives.  He is involved in the editing, editorial 
writing and Feature writing of the Island.  He is also 
a recipient of Japanese Foreign Press Center Fellowship 
in 1997 and FOJO (Sweden) Fellowship in 2000. 
 
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: 122 
PERSON-ID: 126 
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: 0 
DS2019-SUBJECT: 09.0401 
SPONS-FUNDS: 0 
SPONS-AGENCY1: 
USGOVT-AGENCY1: 
US-AGENCY-AMT1: 0 
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: 
END NOMINATION: 
END FIXED-FORMAT TEXT: 
 
3. PLEASE ADVISE ACCEPTANCE OF THIS NOMINATION. 
WILLS