US embassy cable - 05DHAKA3815

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 DHAKA 003815 
 
SIPDIS 
 
AID/KATMANDU FOR REBECCA SCHEURER AND JENNY MARION 
 
AID/BANGKOK FOR OFDA 
 
AID/W FOR USAID/DCHA/OFDA RTHAYER 
 
E.O. 12958:N/A 
TAGS: OTRA, NP, TH, BG, Country Clearance 
SUBJECT:  COUNTRY CLEARANCE REQUEST FOR REBECCA K. 
SCHEURER, OFDA REGIONAL ADVISOR AND JENNY MARION, 
SPECIAL ASSISTANT, USAID/DCHA/AA 
 
REF. KATHMANDU 01629 
 
1.  Embassy Dhaka welcomes Office of Foreign Disaster 
and Assistance (OFDA) Regional Advisor Ms. Rebecca K. 
Scheurer and USAID/DCHA/AA Special Assistant Ms. Jenny 
Marion to travel to Bangladesh on August 21 to 24, 2005 
and grants country clearance, contingent repeat 
contingent on obtaining a Bangladeshi visa in their 
passports prior to arrival in Bangladesh (see Paragraph 
3.D. and 3.E. below).  The purpose of the visit is to 
review performance under the Program for Enhanced 
Emergency Response (PEER) and to strategize the next 
phase of this OFDA-funded regional program. Control 
Officer will be Golam Kabir.  Contact information: 
Phone (Office) 88-02-885-5500 Ext. 2347, (Home) 88-02- 
8820620, (FAX) 88-02-989-0195, E-mail address: 
gkabir@usaid.gov.  Ms. Scheurer and Ms. Marion hold 
`SECRET' and `TOP SECRET' clearances respectively and 
will be traveling on diplomatic passports. 
 
2.  The Mission's workweek is Sunday-Thursday 0800 
hours to 1630 hours.  There will be no American or 
Bangladeshi holidays during the visit period. 
 
3.  Comments: 
 
A.  The travelers are advised to carry a copy of this 
cable with them for reference. 
 
B.  Hotel reservation will not be made as the travelers 
mentioned no other assistance but a country clearance 
only. 
 
C.  Embassy expediter and control officer will not meet 
and assist the visitors at airport. 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 exceptions. 
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 traveler's 
passport bio-data page, sent to 880-2-882-4449 at least 
7 calendar days in advance; and (2) a statement from 
the losing post that there is no Bangladesh mission in 
country XXX.  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. 
 
4.  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 5.17) 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. 
 
5.  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 visitor's 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 traveler's 
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. 
 
6.  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 64 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. 
 
7.  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 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. 
 
8.  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. 
 
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.) 
 
9.  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. 
 
10.  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. 
 
11.  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. 
 
12.  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 Embassy's 24-hour 
emergency telephone number available at all times (880- 
02-885-5500); receptionists are on duty 24 hours a day. 
 
13.  Agency specific general information:  None. 
 
14.  We look forward to your visit.  Chammas