FY-2004 IV PROGRAM: SRI LANKAN NOMINATION FOR MRP ON "TV BROADCASTING": APRIL 1-22, 2004 PROJECT NUMBER: E/VP-2004-0018

UNCLASSIFIED UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 COLOMBO 001131 SIPDIS STATE FOR ISABELLE ZSOLDOS/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 "TV BROADCASTING": APRIL 1-22, 2004 PROJECT NUMBER: E/VP-2004-0018 REF: (A) STATE 96274, (B) COLOMBO 0676 1. POST NOMINATES MR. M. P. ASOKA DIAS, NEWS DIRECTOR- SIRASA, MBC AND MTV, 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: 92 ECA-PROJ-NO: E/VP-2004-0018 PROJ-NAME: TV Broadcasting - April 1-22, 2004 START MEMO PROJ-DESC: END MEMO PROJ-DESC: PROJ-TYPE: Multi-Regional PROG-TYPE: IV Group Projects FY: 2004 DEPART-POST: 03/30/2004 SESSION-DATE: 04/01/2004 RETURN-POST: 04/25/2004 NO-OF-PART: 1 RANK-ORDER: 9 START MEMO POST-OBJ: This nomination is in support of MPP goal on "Democracy" 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: START BIO: PREFIX: Mr. F-NAME: Mahamarakkala P. M-NAME: Asoka L-NAME: DIAS SUFFIX: POSITION-CODE: 0 PRINCIPAL?: Yes M-ADDR1: 12 Richard de Soysa Media Housing Scheme M-ADDR2: Talangama North M-ADDR3: M-CITY: Battaramulla M-STATE: M-CNTRY: Sri Lanka M-ZONE: M-ZIP: M-PHONE: (94-1) 788-243 M-FAX: M-EMAIL: asokadias@slt.lk M-CNTRY-ID: CE M-ADDRTYPE: H GENDER: M DOB: 12/02/1967 MAR-STAT: M BIRTH-CITY: Moratuwa BIRTH-CNTRY: Sri Lanka CITIZ-CNTRY: Sri Lanka RES-CNTRY: Sri Lanka START MEMO POSITION: News Director- Sirasa, MBC and MTV, 2002- to date END MEMO POSITION: START MEMO OTHER-POSITIONS: END MEMO OTHER-POSITIONS: START MEMO PREV-POSITIONS: 1997-2002 - Assistant News Director, MBC and MTV 1996-97 - Chief News Editor, TV, MTV Channel 1995-96 - News Editor, Sirasa FM and 'Yes' FM radio channels 1990-95 - Journalist, 'Vidura," science weekly END MEMO PREV-POSITIONS: START MEMO US-TRAVEL: None END MEMO US-TRAVEL: START MEMO OTHER-TRAVEL: Bangladesh, Canada, India, Nepal and UK END MEMO OTHER-TRAVEL: START MEMO EDUCATION: General Certificate of Education (Advanced Level) examination, 1986 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 "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: Bruce A. Lohof START MEMO NOMINATING-JUSTIFICATION: Post has been quite successful and confident with media coverage of numerous events with MTV and Sirasa TV/Radio. Sirasa TV is an independent channel managed by Maharaja Broadcasting Corporation. Its newscast may be called the trend setting local language telecast with 17 news bulletins daily. Sirasa TV makes a good effort to give unbiased information to listeners and is an extremely popular independent television station in Sri Lanka. It broadcasts mainly in Sinhala, the language used by a majority of Sri Lankans. Asoka's career development record is proof of his potential. He began his media career as a freelance journalist and joined Maharaja Broadcasting Corporation for Sirasa radio at a later stage. He was also the first local news editor at a private sector radio station in Sri Lanka. Currently, he is the main news Director for both Sirasa TV and Sirasa radio. 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: 126 PERSON-ID: 130 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: 09.0701 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. CAMP