COUNTRY CLEARANCE GRANTED FOR EILEEN BURKE,

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 002090

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

MCC FOR S. GROFF, D. NASSIRY AND E. BURKE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID KMCA ECON OTRA KPAO AFIN OVIP CE
SUBJECT: COUNTRY CLEARANCE GRANTED FOR EILEEN BURKE,
LAWRENCE CAMP AND ANDREW FARNUM OF MILLENIUM CHALLENGE
CORPORATION TO TRAVEL TO SRI LANKA

REF: 150038z


1. Post grants country clearance to Eileen Burke,
Lawrence Camp and Andrew Farnum of Millennium
Challenge Corporation to visit Colombo from January 3
to January 28, 2007. The purpose of their visit is to
continue due diligence on the SME Development portions
of the GOSL?s Millennium Challenge Compact proposal.
Embassy control officer is Mr. Richard Merrin,
Commercial Attache and Economic Officer, telephone no.
(94-11) 249 8770, fax (94-11) 249 8820, email
MerrinRC@state.gov.


2. Post understands that no additional logistical
arrangements are required.


3. As far in advance of the visit as possible,
visitors must provide specific details to the control
officer of all support requirements they will need
while at post. Support requirements include
procurement requests, motor pool usage, shipping
assistance, and any and all other service requirements
that will be needed upon arrival or during the visit.


4. Political and security developments emerge quickly
and frequently in Sri Lanka and the embassy is
monitoring these developments. The current unrest and
spate of violent incidents in the northern and eastern
part of the island has heightened tensions island-
wide. A Ceasefire Agreement signed between the
Government of Sri Lanka and the insurgent Liberation
Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 2002 has been marred
by increasing violence, which has recently included
attacks involving civilians in the north and east of
the country. While foreigners have not in the past
been targeted in the violence, it is still uncertain
whether an August 14, 2006 bomb which hit the security
detail of the Pakistani High Commissioner?s convoy was
targeted at the High Commissioner or exclusively at
GSL security forces. Once you arrive in Sri Lanka,
please make sure you register with the Consular Office
so the Embassy can communicate any changes in the
situation. As always, we urge you to be cautious and
aware of your surroundings


5. TDY visitors to Sri Lanka who are coming for
official business purposes must have a visa to enter
Sri Lanka, whether they are traveling on diplomatic,
official or tourist passports. Post will be able to
assist in arranging airport visas only for those
passengers who are arriving from a country in which
there is no Sri Lanka Embassy. If there is a Sri
Lanka embassy in your country of residence, please
arrange for a visa through that Embassy. All
travelers must send to Letitia DeSilva
(DeSilvaL@State.Gov) and the control officer (Richard
Merrin (MerrinRC@state.gov)),the following
information: Full Name, Date of Birth, Place of
Birth, Passport Number, Place of Issue, Date of Issue,
Expiration Date, length of stay in Sri Lanka and
country from which you will be applying for the visa.
The Embassy will send a diplomatic note to the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the MFA will instruct
the Sri Lanka Embassy to issue the visa. This process
may take up to two weeks.


6. Travel by Official Americans to the North and East
of Sri Lanka has been restricted until further notice.
Any travel to these areas requires prior approval by
the Ambassador (or the Charge in his absence).


7. Travelers should exercise caution when working in
and near Government facilities and avoid large
gatherings due to the threat of a potential terrorist
incident. Petty crime is common in Colombo and
travelers should avoid using public transportation
other than radio or hotel taxis. Travelers should
keep money or jewelry, when not in immediate use, in
hotel safe deposit boxes. Recent cases of credit card
fraud have been reported. Travelers are encouraged to
either pay with cash or to watch when a merchant
?swipes? the card for a transaction to ensure it is
not swiped more than once.


8. All TDY personnel must check in with the Regional
Security Officer on their first working day in Colombo
to receive a security briefing and an update regarding
the terrorist threat. Please coordinate with your
control officer to schedule this briefing. Visitors

COLOMBO 00002090 002 OF 002


requiring access to classified information while
visiting post MUST forward their security clearance
via cable to the RSO. Again, for emergency contact
purposes, all official visitors are required to
register, in person, at the Embassy?s Consular
Section, on their first working day or as soon
thereafter as practicable.


9. Travelers whose security orientation training is
not current are strongly urged to participate in one
of the NFATC security overseas seminars for TDY
personnel before travel commences.


10. An Embarkation Tax of SLR 1,500 is required. This
tax is normally included in the airline ticket charges
and travelers should verify the tax has been included.


11. Visitors to the Embassy wishing to access their
OpenNet e-mail from their home post should inform
their control officer before departure. If access to
e-mail is necessary, visitors should have their
control officer provide the Colombo ISC office with
the following information at least five working days
in advance of their arrival at post: -- visitor's
first name, middle initial and last name, arrival date
at post, departure date at post, visitor's home
OpenNet Exchange Server Name, the Exchange IP Address
and the Domain Name. The contact e-mail address for
Colombo ISC office is: ColomboISCHelpDesk (SMTP:
ColomboISCHelpDesk@state.gov). Colombo's ISC office
will create the guest account and set it up for email
access. When the visitor arrives at post, they will
need to check in with the Colombo ISC office (Room
134) to sign for a User ID and Password. The Colombo
ISC office staff will review with the visitor the
steps for accessing their home e-mail.


12. The Embassy Health Unit suggests that all TDY
employees in Sri Lanka for more than 14 days schedule
a briefing with the Foreign Service Health
Practitioner (FSHP). Also, your control officer can
arrange for an electronic version of the Colombo
Health Booklet to be sent to you via email. Please be
advised that while in Sri Lanka, you cannot use your
American health insurance for health care received
from local providers, laboratories, and hospitals.
You can obtain receipts for care received in country
to submit to your health insurance plan for
reimbursement. Some facilities will accept credit
card payment, but most require cash. Arrangements for
deferring payment for emergency care are possible if
arranged through the Health Unit, but you must clear
all bills for health services received outside of the
Health Unit prior to leaving Sri Lanka.

BLAKE
UNCLASSIFIED