COUNTRY CLEARANCE FOR RSO JAMES P. DOHERTY AND FSNI RAYMOND

UNCLAS APIA 000050 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS WELLINGTON FOR JAMES P. DOHERTY AND RAYMOND MILLAR E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OTRA ASEC NZ WS SUBJECT: COUNTRY CLEARANCE FOR RSO JAMES P. DOHERTY AND FSNI RAYMOND MILLAR REF: WELLINGTON 00300 (NOTAL) ¶1. Post grants country clearance for RSO James P. Doherty and FSNI Raymond Millar April 16 -20, 2007 to visit Apia, Samoa to meet Samoan Police regarding an ongoing investigation and toprovide constituent post services. ¶2. Post understands that no assistance from the Embassy is requested. If necessary, Embassy point of contact is Charge d'Affaires George W. Colvin Jr. The Embassy can be contacted during business hours at telephone number 21631 and 21436, and at 21514 or 7771776 after duty hours. Callers from outside Samoa should first dial country code 685. ¶3. Embassy Apia is unable to provide "meet and greet" service at the airport. Visitors can use local taxi service, which is generally safe, reliable and frequent. Taxi fare from the airport to downtown Apia hotels costs about WST 50.00 (roughly US $20.00). All forms of public transportation are generally safe at all times of the day; however, at night visitors should use common sense precautions to prevent becoming a target of crime. ¶4. American citizens visiting Samoa for 60 days or less (for either official or private travel) may enter the country without a visa. Immigration officials grant entry permits upon arrival. SamoaN authorities require visitors to pay $40.00 Tala (approximately $15.50) tax in Samoan currency at the airport upon departure from Samoa. ¶5. Please note that Embassy Apia does not have the ability to cash personal checks. Samoan Tala can be obtained at conveniently located ATMs, including at the airport. Travelers can also exchange currency at the airport upon arrival; both Westpac and ANZ have branches at the airport and elsewhere in Samoa. ¶6. Samoa is considered a low-threat environment. Theft and petty crimes sometimes occur, but are usually non-confrontational in nature. There are no terrorist groups or support groups believed to be operating in Samoa at this time. Visitors should remain vigilant with regard to their personal security and exercise caution during their stay. They should also be aware of the State Department's Consular Information sheet for Samoa and the most recent worldwide caution public announcements, which are available via the internet at htt://travel.state.gov. COLVIN