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

280717Z Nov 05

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 DHAKA 005810 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DIRECT RELAY 
 
E.O. 12958:N/A 
TAGS: OTRA BG
SUBJECT: COUNTRY CLEARANCE FOR VIVEK TALVADKAR 
 
 
TO: Vivek Talvadkar 
Executive Vice President 
NRECA International, Ltd. 
National Rural Electric Cooperative 
Association (NRECA) 
4301 Wilson Boulevard 
Arlington, Virginia 22203 
Phone: (703) 907-5500 
Fax: (703) 907-5532 
Email: vivek.talvadkar@nreca.coop 
 
REF: James Ford e-mail dated November 22, 2005 
 
Action Required:  See Paragraphs # 2, 4-D and 9. 
 
¶1. Embassy Dhaka welcomes Mr. Vivek Talvadkar, Executive Vice- 
President, NRECA international Ltd. on his December 16 to 
December 20, 2005 visit and grants country clearance, contingent 
repeat contingent on obtaining a Bangladeshi visa in his 
passport prior to arrival in Bangladesh (see Paragraph 4.D. and 
4.E. below). Control Officer will be Md. Kamaruzzaman.  Contact 
information:  Phone (Office) 8-02-885-5500 Ext. 2564, (Home) 88- 
02-895 7744, (FAX) 88-02-989- 0195, 882-3648, Email address: 
mkamaruzzaman@usaid.gov. Mission understands that visitor does 
not hold any security clearance. This an annual visit to the 
RPPR-II project by NRECA Arlington home office management staff. 
 
¶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.  There will not be a (Local/American) holiday during the 
visit period. 
 
¶4.  Comments: 
 
¶A. The traveler is advised to carry a copy of this cable with 
him for reference. 
 
¶B. Hotel reservation has been confirmed by NRECA International 
at hotel Lake Castle, House# 1A, Road # 68/A, Gulshan, Dhaka. 
 
¶C.   Embassy expediter and control officer will not meet and 
assist the visitor at airport. Please keep the control officer 
informed 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 that 
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. 
 
¶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 Citibank cashier.  The exchange rate 
fluctuates and is currently approximately Taka 66 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. 
 
¶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. Agency specific general information. 
 
¶15.  We look forward to your visit. 
 
GEORGE