BURMA COUNTRY CLEARANCE FOR USAID DR. CLAUDIA

UNCLAS RANGOON 001013 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT PLEASE PASS TO AID/GH/PRH/PEC - CONSTELLA FUTURES E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OTRA BM SUBJECT: BURMA COUNTRY CLEARANCE FOR USAID DR. CLAUDIA SURJADJAJA REF: SECSTATE 141749 ¶1. Embassy Rangoon grants country clearance and welcomes the visit of USAID Consultant Dr. Claudia Surjadjaja, to Burma October 21-25, 2007. Purpose of travel is to attend the 23rd meeting of the ASEAN Working Group on Technical Cooperation in Pharmaceuticals, to be held in Rangoon. ¶2. Your Embassy point of contact is Samantha Carl-Yoder, Economic Officer, who can be reached at: Telephone (95) (1) 650-006 extension 4227, Fax (95) (1) 650-306, Home phone (95) (1) 650-651, room 513, Mobile phone (95) (9) 502-2318 Or e-mail at Carl-YoderSA@state.gov. ¶3. Per Reftel, no Embassy assistance is required. Post requests that Dr. Surjadjaja meet with Embassy officials after the Working Group meeting for an outbrief. ¶4. All U.S. visitors traveling to Burma, with no exceptions, must have visas prior to arrival. Entry visa processing can take up to four weeks through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Burmese Embassy in Washington, and visas requested elsewhere can take even longer to process. Airport visas are not available. ¶5. Due to international financial sanctions, please be advised that credit cards and travelers checks generally are not accepted anywhere in Burma. Therefore, you should bring sufficient cash to cover all of your in-country expenses. Dollars may be exchanged for the local currency (kyat) at authorized exchange locations. You may pay your hotel bill in U.S. dollars. There is also an airport departure fee of $10. ¶6. Please note there are U.S. Customs restrictions on what Americans may take out of Burma to the United States. Official travelers on diplomatic passports may import Burmese products into the U.S. for personal use only. Gifts for other persons or items for resale are prohibited. Travelers on official or regular passports cannot import any Burmese products into the U.S., apart from a few specialized exempted items. ¶7. In light of recent bombings in Burma, visitors should practice heightened security awareness and avoid crowded public places, including shopping malls and markets, demonstrations, large public gatherings, and any area cordoned off by security forces. Official travelers can assume their actions in Burma are being closely monitored, particularly in hotel lobbies and rooms, when meeting Burmese citizens, and when using the telephone. Official visitors may not travel outside of Rangoon without Embassy approval. Local traffic can be confusing and hazardous; post recommends using taxis or rental cars with drivers when possible. Visitors should protect their valuables at all times while in public. Available medical care is not up to U.S. standard. ¶8. The vast majority of visitors to Burma complete their travel without complication. We hope your visit will be productive and enjoyable. STOLTZ