US embassy cable - 05DHAKA4605

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 DHAKA 004605 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR S/CT MARK WISNIEWSKI 
 
E.O. 12958:N/A 
TAGS: OTRA, AMGT, ASEC, PTER, BG, Country Clearance 
SUBJECT:  ACTION - COUNTRY CLEARANCE FOR ROY ROBINSON 
 
REF:  STATE 168609 
 
Action Required:  See Paragraphs # 2, 4-D and 9. 
 
1.   Embassy Dhaka welcomes Roy Robinson on his 09/17-25/2005 
visit and grants country clearance, contingent repeat contingent 
on obtaining a Bangladeshi visa in his passport prior to arrival 
in Bangladesh (see Paragraph 3.D. and 3.E. below).  Control 
Officer will be Katrina Martin.  Contact information:  Phone 
(Office) 88-02-885-5500 Ext. 2178. 
 
2.  As of January 1, 2005 direct hire and PSC, (non-State 
Department), USG TDY personnel who will be in Bangladesh for 30 
days or more, are required to take and pass the SAFE course. 
SAFE, Safety Abroad for Families and Employees, is a four day 
security training course offered by FSI, Department of State. 
Please contact the Office of the Registrar, Room F-2210, SA-42. 
Fax:  703-302-7152.  The Department strongly recommends that 
commercial contract employees and others also take the SAFE 
course.  (For further information, please contact the Assistant 
Director for Training, Diplomatic security, Mr. William Armor at 
armorwd@state.gov or Phone: 703-205-2816.)  See STATE cable 93760 
dated 27 April 2004 and STATE cable 066580 dated 25 March 2004, 
for details. 
 
3.  The Mission's workweek is Sunday-Thursday 0800 hours to 1630 
hours. 
 
4.  Comments: 
 
A.   The traveler is advised to carry a copy of this cable with 
him for reference. 
 
B.   Hotel reservations have not been made as per reftel. 
 
C.   Embassy expediter and control officer will meet/assist Mr. 
Robinson at the airport. 
 
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. 
 
5.  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. 
 
6.  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. 
 
7.  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 American Express bank cashier.  The exchange 
rate fluctuates and is currently approximately Taka 58 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 
American Express bank at the Chancery will cash traveler checks 
for Taka only.  Most major credit cards are accepted at 
international hotels. 
 
8.  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. 
 
9.  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. 
 
MEDICAL UNIT ACCESS WILL BE AVAILABLE IF INDIVIDUALS MEET THE 
SPECIFIC CRITERIA ESTABLISHED BY STATE MED AS OUTLINED IN 
SECSTATE 2398, 201464, 158215, AND 36783. 
 
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.) 
 
There are a multitude of potential threats to health in 
Bangladesh, and medical resources and facilities are often sub- 
standard.  All visitors are advised to carefully review their 
medical conditions and vaccination status to be sure they are 
optimal.  Although many medications are available in Bangladesh, 
their purity and quality may be poor; visitors should bring their 
own supply. 
 
Certain conditions prevalent in Bangladesh deserve special 
consideration.  Malaria is found in most parts of the country and 
malaria prophylaxis is recommended by the Centers for Disease 
Control outside of Dhaka. Malaria is not generally a problem in 
Dhaka.  Rabies is relatively common in Bangladesh and most dogs 
are not vaccinated; vaccination against rabies is recommended. 
Protection against mosquitoes is important, as they carry dengue 
fever, Japanese encephalitis, and malaria.  Personal protection 
against mosquitoes, including such efforts as mosquito nets, 
application of DEET repellents, and avoidance of areas where 
mosquitoes are known to be prevalent is recommended. 
 
Access to the American Embassy Health Unit in Dhaka is limited to 
medically cleared U.S.G. employees and their eligible family 
members.  All visitors who desire to access the Health Unit (HU) 
must bring copies of their current country-specific health 
clearance for Dhaka (Form DS-823) or transmit their clearance 
status by cable.  U.S.G. employees on official TDY status for 
less than 60 days (cumulative, per year) are allowed access to 
the HU without a current clearance for Dhaka.  Some short-term 
contractors with official MED sanction are also allowed access. 
All other visitors must obtain their health care from other 
sources and are not allowed American Embassy HU access.  The HU 
maintains a list of health resources and can help with referrals. 
Medevac insurance is recommended for persons not covered under 
the Department of State system. 
 
10.  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. 
 
11.  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. 
 
12.  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. 
 
13.  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. 
 
14.  We look forward to your visit.  Chammas