This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 DHAKA 004197 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DIRECT RELAY 
 
E.O. 12958 
TAGS: OTRA BG
SUBJECT:  CONTRACTOR COUNTRY CLEARANCE FOR DR. 
JEFFERSON FOX 
 
To: Bob Winterbottom 
Senior Manager 
International Resources Group (IRG) 
1211 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 700 
Washington, DC 20036 
Tel: 202-289-0100 
Fax: 202-289-7601 
Email: BWinterbottom@irgltd.com 
 
REF:  Bob Winterbottom e-mail dated August 19, 2005 
 
¶1.  Embassy Dhaka welcomes Dr. Jefferson Fox of East 
West Center on his August 27 to September 2, 2005 
visit and grants country clearance, contingent repeat 
contingent on obtaining Bangladeshi visa in his 
passport prior to arrival in Bangladesh (see 
Paragraph 3.D. and 3.E. below).  The purpose of 
travel is to assist in defining the research agenda 
and organizing and launching the applied social 
science research and related program support 
activities that are detailed in the scope of work of 
the subcontract between IRG and the East West Center. 
Control Officer will be Dr.Azharul H. Mazumder. 
Contact information:  Phone (Office) 8-02-885-5500 
Ext. 2540, (Cell) 88-0175-103303, (FAX) 88-02-989- 
0195, 882-3648, Email address: azmazumder@usaid.gov. 
Mission understands that the visitor does not hold 
any security clearance. 
 
¶2.  The Mission's workweek is Sunday-Thursday 0800 
hours to 1630 hours.  There will be no holiday during 
the visit period. 
 
¶3.  Comments: 
 
¶A.    The traveler is advised to carry a copy of this 
cable with him for reference. 
 
¶B.    Contractor will be responsible for all travel 
arrangements within Bangladesh.  Please provide control 
officer with flight and accommodation information. 
 
¶C.   Embassy expediter and control officer will not 
meet and assist the visitors at airport.  Please 
advise if there is any change in flight information. 
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.  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 Citibank 
cashier.  The exchange rate fluctuates and is 
currently approximately Taka 65 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 Citibank 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.  We look forward to your visit.  Chammas