US embassy cable - 03COLOMBO1044

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 COLOMBO 001044 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR ECA/PE/V/G/N-ALICE SHIFFLETT; INFO: SA/PD 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OEXC, SCUL, KPAO, OEXC - Exchanges 
SUBJECT: FY-2004 SOUTH ASIA RP ON "ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 
AND LIBERALIZATION" - NOVEMBER 3-21, 2003 : SRI LANKAN 
NOMINATION 
PROJECT NUMBER: E/VGN-2004-0015 
 
REF: (A) STATE 079203, (B) COLOMBO 0676 
 
1. POST NOMINATES MR. TILINA B. TENNAKOON, MEMBER OF 
PARLIAMENT FOR KANDY DISTRICT, 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/VGN 
PROG-AGENCY-NAME: 
POST-PROJ-ID: 82 
ECA-PROJ-NO: E/VGN-2004-0015 
PROJ-NAME: Economic Development and Liberalization - 
November 3-21, 2003 
START MEMO PROJ-DESC: 
 
END MEMO PROJ-DESC: 
PROJ-TYPE: Sub-Regional 
PROG-TYPE: IV Group Projects 
FY: 2004 
DEPART-POST: 10/31/2003 
SESSION-DATE: 11/03/2003 
RETURN-POST: 11/24/2003 
NO-OF-PART: 1 
RANK-ORDER: 1 
START MEMO POST-OBJ: 
This nomination is in support of MPP goal on "Economic 
Prosperity and Growth" 
END MEMO POST-OBJ: 
START MEMO POST-RCMD: 
 
END MEMO POST-RCMD: 
ECA-OFFICE-ID: 1039 
PROG-AGENCY-ID: 
PROJ-TYPE-ID: SRP 
PROG-TYPE-ID: 31 
NOMINATING-POST-ID: 2929 
FUNDING-CNTRY-ID: 
STATUS: N 
ORIGINATOR: P 
SUBJ-DISC: Economic & Business Development 
START BIO: 
PREFIX: Mr. 
F-NAME: Tilina 
M-NAME: Bandara 
L-NAME: TENNAKOON 
SUFFIX: 
POSITION-CODE: 0 
PRINCIPAL?: Yes 
M-ADDR1: 6 Suduhumpola Road 
M-ADDR2: 
M-ADDR3: 
M-CITY: Kandy 
M-STATE: 
M-CNTRY: Sri Lanka 
M-ZONE: 
M-ZIP: 
M-PHONE: (94-8) 238-024 
M-FAX: 
M-EMAIL: 
M-CNTRY-ID: CE 
M-ADDRTYPE: H 
GENDER: M 
DOB: 07/07/1967 
MAR-STAT: M 
BIRTH-CITY: Kandy 
BIRTH-CNTRY: Sri Lanka 
CITIZ-CNTRY: Sri Lanka 
RES-CNTRY: Sri Lanka 
START MEMO POSITION: 
Member of Parliament for Kandy District, 2001- to date 
END MEMO POSITION: 
START MEMO OTHER-POSITIONS: 
 
END MEMO OTHER-POSITIONS: 
START MEMO PREV-POSITIONS: 
1999-2001 - Minister for Health and Sports of the 
Central Provincial Council 
1997-99 - Chairman, Ganga Wata Korale Pradeshiya Sabaha 
1994-97 - Engaged in grassroots politics in Kandy 
1986-1990 - Traffic Officer, Air Lanka 
END MEMO PREV-POSITIONS: 
START MEMO US-TRAVEL: 
None 
END MEMO US-TRAVEL: 
START MEMO OTHER-TRAVEL: 
END MEMO OTHER-TRAVEL: 
START MEMO EDUCATION: 
B.A. in International Relations, Lumumba University, 
USSR, 1994 
END MEMO EDUCATION: 
START MEMO MEMBERSHIPS: 
 
END MEMO MEMBERSHIPS: 
START MEMO PUBLICATIONS: 
 
END MEMO PUBLICATIONS: 
START MEMO SPEC-CONSID: 
Non-smoker and non-eater of beef and pork 
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 "Economic 
Prosperity and Growth" 
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: Will Avery 
START MEMO NOMINATING-JUSTIFICATION: 
Mr. Tennakoon is one of the more promising younger 
politicians of the Peoples Alliance (PA).  He has 
strong ties to Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), as his 
father and grandfather were both prominent MP and 
Minister, respectively, in previous SLFP governments. 
Mr. Tennakoon has been active in politics from 1997. 
He entered politics from the Pradeshiya Sabha of a 
Kandy district village in 1997.  He was the provincial 
health and sports minister from 1999-2001 in the 
Central Provincial Council (CPC).  He is a well-known 
figure in the Kandy district, as he was the President 
of the Kandy District Cricket Association.  During his 
tenure at CPC he engaged in hospital development, water 
and sports development projects. 
Mr. Tennakoon, with his popularity in the Kandy 
District and strong family background within the SLFP, 
is likely to have a promising political career.  He is 
in a position to understand business issues, as he 
worked at a commercial entity (Sri Lankan Airlines) and 
held positions with the District Cricket 
Administration.  It is in the interest of the mission 
to cultivate interlocutors in the PA who will 
understand US economic perspectives, so that we have 
representation in Parliament and the provinces who will 
be able to support US views.  His education was in Sri 
Lanka and Russia.  We expect that an exposure to the US 
economic model will be an eye opener for him. 
 
 
END MEMO NOMINATING-JUSTIFICATION: 
NOM-OFF: ECON 
SPEAKER?: No 
NOTIFY-EMB: Yes 
MEDIA?: No 
HOME-STAY: No 
HOME-HOSP?: Yes 
E-I-TYPE: 
NOMINEE-ID: 117 
PERSON-ID: 121 
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: 
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: 
END BIO: 
END NOMINATION: 
END FIXED-FORMAT TEXT: 
 
3. PLEASE ADVISE ACCEPTANCE OF THIS NOMINATION. 
WILLS