COUNTRY CLEARANCE GRANTED TO COUCH PLUS THREE TO TRAVEL TO

UNCLAS BRIDGETOWN 000790

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ASEC OTRA VC DO XL
SUBJECT: COUNTRY CLEARANCE GRANTED TO COUCH PLUS THREE TO TRAVEL TO
SAINT VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES AND DOMINICA

REF: 150937 JUN 07


1. Embassy Bridgetown warmly welcomes and grants country clearance
to Mr. Joseph Couch, USCG, CDR Lee Scruggs, USCG, Mr. James Hurst,
USCG and LCDR Felton Gilmore, USCG, for travel to Saint Vincent and
the Grenadines July 09 - 14 2007 and to Dominica July 14 - 19 2007.
The purpose of these missions is to conduct port discussions with
port officials IAW IMO ISPS code and U.S. Maritime Transportation
Safety Act (MTSA).


2. Embassy points of contact are CDR P. Kofi Aboagye, Chief,
Military Liaison Office, (246) 227-4339 or cell (246) 227-2705;
Major Curtis Schmucker, Deputy Chief, Military Liaison Office, (246)
227-4166 or cell (246) 227-2712; and Major Rachelle Harris,
Operations Officer, (246) 227-4123 or cell (246) 227-2725.


3. The exchange rate for Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and
Dominica is approximately $2.70 xcd (Eastern Caribbean) dollars for
$1.00 U.S. dollar. U.S. currency, traveler's checks, and credit
cards are routinely and widely accepted here.


4. Entry requirements: A valid U.S. passport is required to enter
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Dominica. No visa is required
if your stay is under six months, including those travelers arriving
with diplomatic or official passports. For further information,
travelers may contact the Embassy of Barbados, 2144 Wyoming Avenue
N.W., Washington D.C. 20008, tel. 1-202-939-9200.


5. Restrictions: The laws of Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, St.
Lucia, Grenada, Dominica, and St. Kitts and Nevis prohibit
non-military personnel from wearing any articles of camouflage
clothing. Immigration officers in these countries randomly check
visitor's baggage on arrival at the airport; if items of restriction
are found, you will be asked to surrender them to the officers.


6. Departure tax for Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is $45.00 ECC
(Eastern Caribbean Currency) or $17.00 USD. Departure tax for
Dominica is $60.00 XCD (Eastern Caribbean Currency) or $23.00 USD.


7. The following is general information pertaining to security and
health considerations throughout the Eastern Caribbean:

Security
--------------
In the Eastern Caribbean, foot travel outside of well-established
tourist areas is not generally recommended, especially at night. Be
vigilant when using public telephones or ATM machines near roadsides
or quiet areas. As in many U.S. metropolitan areas, wearing
expensive jewelry, carrying expensive objects, or carrying large
amounts of cash should be avoided. Visitors should also safeguard
valuables while at the beach. While hotels are generally safe, many
visitors have experienced loss of unattended items. Hotel
burglaries are not uncommon and all valuables should be locked in
room safes if possible.

Health Information
--------------
Throughout the Eastern Caribbean, the most likely threat to a
visitor's health is sunburn. It takes several weeks to become
accustomed to the heat and humidity. Prolonged exposure to the sun,
without protection, causes sunburn and may ultimately result in
sun-damaged skin or even skin cancer. Sunscreens should be used for
protection. In Barbados, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent the major
health threat is dengue fever, transmitted by mosquito. Dengue
cases are most often seen in the summer months. Persons should
therefore protect themselves with insect repellant. There is also a
growing number of HIV/AIDS cases reported. The Eastern Caribbean
enjoys clean and safe drinking water. Only routine boosters for
immunizations (i.e. tetanus, diphtheria, and oral polio vaccine) are
required when traveling to this region. Barbados has the best
medical facilities of all the islands in the region and most of the
medical specialties have practitioners here.

GILROY