COUNTRY CLEARANCE FOR LYNDAL BARRY AND SARAH

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 DHAKA 005584

SIPDIS

DIRECT RELAY

E.O. 12958:N/A
TAGS: OTRA BG
SUBJECT: COUNTRY CLEARANCE FOR LYNDAL BARRY AND SARAH
BREUL

REF: E-MAIL FROM POLICY TRAVEL ADMINISTRATOR TO

BELAYET HOSSAIN, OPHN DATED NOVEMBER 4, 2005

TO: Policy Travel Administrator
Futures Group, Policy II Project
One Thomas Circle, NW
Washington, DC 20005, USA
Tel: 202-775-9680
Email: (POLICYTRAVEL@FUTURES GROUP.COM)
Fax: (202)775-9694

Action Required: See Paragraphs # 2, 4-D and 9.


1. Embassy Dhaka welcomes Lyndal Barry, Director of
Mekong HIV/AIDS Project, Internews Network, and Sarah
Breul, Program Associate, Internews Network on their
November 24 November 28, 2005 visit and grants
country clearance, contingent repeat contingent on
obtaining a Bangladeshi visa in his/her passport prior
to arrival in Bangladesh (see Paragraph 3.D. and 3.E.
below). Control Officer will be OPHN staff member
Carrie Rasmussen. Contact information: Phone
(Office) 880-2-885-5500 Ext. 2315, (Cell) 0173-009647;
(Home) 0171-825962, (FAX) 880-2-882-3648, and E-mail
address: crasmussen@usaid.gov. We understand that as
contractor, Lyndal Barry and Sarah Breul does not have
any US Government security clearance. The purpose of
their visit is to assist with Internews preparations
for and to attend the APLF HIV/AIDS media managers
event.


2. As of January 1, 2005 direct hire and PSC, (non-
State Department),USG TDY personnel who will be in
Bangladesh for 30 days or more, are required to take
and pass the SAFE course. SAFE, Safety Abroad for
Families and Employees, is a four day security
training course offered by FSI, Department of State.
Please contact the Office of the Registrar, Room F-
2210, SA-42. Fax: 703-302-7152. The Department
strongly recommends that commercial contract employees
and others also take the SAFE course. (For further
information, please contact the Assistant Director for
Training, Diplomatic security, Mr. William Armor at
armorwd@state.gov or Phone: 703-205-2816.) See STATE
cable 93760 dated 27 April 2004 and STATE cable 066580
dated 25 March 2004, for details.


3. The Mission's workweek is Sunday-Thursday 0800
hours to 1630 hours. There will be an American
holiday on November 24, 2005 during the visit
period.


4. Comments:


A. The travelers are advised to carry a copy of this
cable with them for reference.


B. The travelers have arranged accommodation in Dhaka
at Sheraton Hotel (1 Minto Road, Dhaka, phone: 880-2-
861-3391; 861-1191).


C. Embassy expediter and control officer will not
meet and assist them at airport (arriving 11/24/05 via
TG-321 at 12:00 hours and departing on 11/28/05 via
TG-322 at 13:10 hrs.). Please keep the control officer
informed if there is any change in flight information.
Travelers making more than one connecting flight
should consider rechecking their baggage, especially
if transferring within the region. Embassy also
advises carrying a change of clothes and all important
documents in your carry-on bags.


D. IMPORTANT PLEASE NOTE: Personnel entering
Bangladesh are required to possess a valid passport,
with a minimum validity of six months. A valid visa
is required prior to arrival. There are no xceptions.
Any traveler arriving without a valid visa will be
returned to the United States or their county of
origin upon the next available flight. Visas are no
longer issued upon arrival. Please ensure that your
visa is valid for at least six months after your
scheduled departure date from Dhaka.

E.In special circumstances, Post will arrange for
an
airport visa upon arrival for persons originating
travel to Bangladesh from countries where there is no
Bangladesh visa-issuing mission. For an airport visa
we require (1) a faxed photocopy of the travelers
passport bio-data page, sent to 880-2-882-4449 at
least 7 calendar days in advance; and (2) a
a
statement from the losing post that there is no
Bangladesh mission in that country. The Embassy will
not, repeat, not provide this service to persons
originating travel in countries that have a Bangladesh
visa-issuing mission. However, we urge all travelers
to attempt to obtain a visa prior to traveling to
Post.


5. Departure and onward travel: All departing
personnel (including holders of diplomatic and
official passports) are urged to use the services of
the U.S. Mission's travel agent for reconfirming
onward travel and to verify if the departure tax,
approximately Taka 300 (approximately USD 4.54) and
the travel tax (approximately Taka 2500) have been
included in the cost of the ticket. If not included,
each traveler will be required to pay the taxes, in
Taka only, at the
airport.


6. Action Request: Fiscal Data. Each visitor,
regardless of length of stay, must bring/forward
fiscal data to pay for direct costs of the visit.
Each agency, organization or visiting delegation will
be charged for the actual costs attributed to its
visit. Direct charge costs include, but are not
limited to: American and LES overtime (for such
services as airport expediting, cashier accommodation
exchange, control room staffing, representational
event support),travel and per diem costs incurred by
post personnel in support of visitors field travel,
rental of vehicles and other equipment, long distance
telephone calls, office supplies, gasoline and other
vehicle maintenance costs, departure tax and other
airport fees as appropriate. For TDYers remaining at
post over 30 days, there is a charge for ICASS support
services. This charge is for the following ICASS
services: Basic Package, CLO and Health Services.
Agencies will not be billed until the accumulated
invoice cost for TDY support exceeds $2,500 for the
fiscal year. If your sponsoring agency is not signed
up for ICASS services at post, please be prepared to
sign a Memorandum of Understanding for ICASS support
services upon arrival. The agency should provide post
with a written communication, generated by the
travelers headquarters, that confirms the agency will
pay ICASS charges for the TDYer, provides the agency
ICASS billing code the TDY support charges should be
applied to, and authorizes the traveler to sign the
ICASS invoice generated by the TDY module. Where
travel is urgent, the TDYer should bring this
documentation with him/her to ensure there are no
interruptions in the provision of service. Post will
not provide any service to a TDYer staying in excess
of thirty days without provision of this documentation
before day 31 of the TDY.


7. Currency: The local use of U.S. Dollars (USD) is
prohibited by law, except for the payment of a hotel
bill. The local currency, the Taka, must be used for
all other local transactions. Accommodation exchange
is available at the Chancery through the Citi bank
cashier. The exchange rate fluctuates and is
currently approximately Taka 66 to USD 1.00. Reverse
accommodation exchange is available only at the
original place of exchange with original documents and
receipts as proof. Automatic Teller Machines (ATMs)
are limited and dispense Taka only. Travelers checks
cannot be used in most establishments except
international hotels. However, the Citi bank at the
Chancery will cash traveler checks for Taka only.
Most major credit cards are accepted at international
hotels.


8. Club and Commissary:


A. The American Recreation Association (known as ARA
or The Club) facility is available to U.S. citizen
official visitors for a temporary membership fee of
USD 10.00 per week. This can not be pro-rated for a
shorter visit. In addition to the membership fee, you
will be required to purchase a cash card, USD 10.00
per card or Taka 600.00. A copy of your passport data
page or a passport-sized photograph is necessary to
obtain a cash card. This card will enable you to have
ve
meals and use club facilities (which include tennis
court, squash court, swimming pool, exercise room, and
restaurant/bar.)


B. The U.S. Commissary facility is available to U.S.
citizen official visitors who are USG employees.
However, payment is permitted only by USD personal
check or traveler checks. Cash dollars and local
currency payments cannot be accepted. Change will not
be provided for transactions using traveler checks.
Therefore, smaller denomination traveler checks would
be more useful.


9. NOTE: Health Post cannot emphasize strongly
enough that all travelers must have health insurance
that will cover medical evacuations by air ambulance.
Travelers should carry with them the 24/7 contact
information for their insurer. Medical care in
Bangladesh is very basic and Post does not recommend
that anyone remain hospitalized here.

MEDICAL UNIT ACCESS WILL BE AVAILABLE IF INDIVIDUALS
MEET THE SPECIFIC CRITERIA ESTABLISHED BY STATE MED AS
S
OUTLINED IN SECSTATE 2398, 201464, 158215, AND 36783.

Intestinal problems are common in Dhaka. Visitors
must exercise care in what they eat and drink; food-
borne diseases are common. Presume that all tap water
is contaminated, even in hotels. Travelers are
advised to drink bottled/boiled water and eat only
fruits and vegetables that have been cooked and
peeled. Undercooked meat should be avoided. Travelers
should also avoid eating uncooked dairy products and
food sold on the streets.

Visitors who take medication on a regular basis should
bring enough for the duration of their visit. It is
not always possible to find equivalents for American
prescriptions on the local market. In general, local
medical facilities are substandard. The U.S. Mission
has a Medical Unit staffed by a U.S. Physician and
registered nurses. Travelers venturing outside Dhaka
are advised to use standard anti-malaria prophylaxis,
including taking appropriate anti-malarial medication,
using mosquito protection and the use of bed netting.
It is strongly recommended that all visitors bring a
supply of mosquito repellent to Dhaka. There have
been cases of mosquito-borne illnesses, including
malaria and dengue fever, which is transmitted by a
day-biting mosquito. The only effective repellant we
are aware of contains DEET (20% DEET is the maximum
that is considered safe for children). Supplies are
usually available in the commissary; however it is a
good idea to have your own supply should you arrive in
Dhaka when the commissary is not open. We also
recommend that travelers have updated immunizations,
especially an up-to-date typhoid immunization (either
oral or injectable.)

There are a multitude of potential threats to health
in Bangladesh, and medical resources and facilities
are often sub-standard. All visitors are advised to
carefully review

their medical conditions and vaccination status to be
sure they are optimal. Although many medications are
available in Bangladesh, their purity and quality may
be poor; visitors should bring their own supply.

Certain conditions prevalent in Bangladesh deserve
special consideration. Malaria is found in most parts
of the country and malaria prophylaxis is recommended
by the Centers for Disease Control outside of Dhaka.
Malaria is not generally a problem in Dhaka. Rabies
is
relatively common in Bangladesh and most dogs are not
vaccinated; vaccination against rabies is recommended.
Protection against mosquitoes is important, as they
carry dengue fever, Japanese encephalitis, and
malaria. Personal protection against mosquitoes,
including such efforts as mosquito nets, application
of DEET repellents, and avoidance of areas where
mosquitoes are known to be prevalent is recommended.

Access to the American Embassy Health Unit in Dhaka is
limited to medically cleared U.S.G. employees and
their eligible family members. All visitors who
desire to access the Health Unit (HU) must bring
copies of their current country-specific health
clearance for Dhaka (Form DS-823) or transmit their
clearance status by cable. U.S.G. employees on
official TDY status for less than 60 days (cumulative,
per year) are allowed access to the HU without a
current clearance for Dhaka. Some short-term
contractors with official MED sanction
are also allowed access.
All other visitors must obtain their health care from
other sources and are not allowed American Embassy HU
access. The HU maintains a list of health resources
and can help with referrals. Medevac insurance is
recommended for persons not covered under the
Department of State system.


10. Security: Bangladesh continues to experience some
anti-American sentiment as the result of U.S. military
and other actions in the war against terrorism, and
events in the Middle East. Anti-American
demonstrations throughout Bangladesh, which generally
occur on Friday afternoons, have the potential to take
place any time and to be unruly. In addition, the
longstanding confrontation between the two leading
political parties has prompted general strikes
(hartals),public demonstrations and marches. They
can be called on very short notice and can turn
violent. Normal vehicular traffic is discouraged
during hartals. Visitors should strictly avoid all
political protests, demonstrations and marches. They
should consider possible security risks in deciding
whether to attend other gatherings.


11. Post policy authorizes travelers visiting post to
hand carry an unclassified laptop into the Controlled
Access Area providing that the laptop is transported
under the immediate personal control of the traveler,
or is transported via diplomatic pouch, with prior
approval of the RSO. All travelers must also maintain
continuous, immediate custody of a laptop while in the
CAA. Further instructions will be given during the
security brief upon arrival.


12. The Embassy advises Americans to be aware of
their surroundings at all times, to avoid predictable
behavior, and not to accept packages from unknown
individuals. Sensitive or personal matters should not
be discussed over local telephone lines.


13. The State Department has classified the crime
threat in Dhaka as high. Foreigners are not generally
the target of violent crime. However, pick-pocketing,
purse-snatching and other forms of street crime occur
frequently, especially in areas frequented by
foreigners. Visitors should avoid walking alone after
dark, carrying large sums of money, or wearing
expensive jewelry. Valuables should be stored in the
hotel safety deposit box and should not be left
unattended in hotel rooms. Visitors should use the
Embassy Motor Pool as the Chief of Mission has
declared public transportation to be unsafe. The
Regional Security Officer strongly discourages the use
of rickshaws, baby taxis, and other public transport.
In addition, you should keep the Embassys 24-hour
emergency telephone number available at all times
(880-02-885-5500); receptionists are on duty 24 hours
a day.


14. Agency specific general information none

15.We look forward to your visit.

CHAMMAS