| Logistical Information |
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| Written by Secretariat, APRN |
| Sunday, 24 October 2004 13:10 |
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1. About Dhaka Bangladesh lies in the northeastern part of South Asia. Bounded by Indian territory on the west, north and east and a small strip with Myanmar in the southeast and by the Bay of Bengal on the south, Bangladesh has an area of about 144,000 sq km. Bangladesh is one of the world's most densely populated countries with 112 million people with an average density of about 800 people per square kilometer. They are descended from several racial and sub-racial groups that entered the subcontinent Asia over the past 5000 years. About 75% of the population live in the rural areas. 86.6% of the total population are Muslims, 12.1% Hindus, 06% Buddhists, 03% Christians and 04% others. Dhaka is the capital city of Bangladesh. Dhaka has a total land area of 1416 sq. km with over 9.9 million population in 2001. 2. Conference Arrangements The Convention will be held at Dhaka's Osmany Memorial Auditorium. This convention facility is a three-storey building equipped with a large auditorium and make-shift workshop rooms to accommodate your workshops and other side events. The convention organizers have already made a block booking at the Hotel Sundarban (Address: 1/D Free School Street, Sonargaon Road, Dhaka) at a negotiated rate of US$30-35 per night. Please contact the Secretariat for reservations. 3. Secretariat Contact Details The conference Secretariat has two (2) working groups-- Manila and Bangladesh. Manila is in-charge of international participants while Bangladesh is in-charge of local participants. For International Participants:
4. Applying for Bangladeshi Visa All foreign nationals need visa to enter Bangladesh. Conference participants are encouraged to apply for a VISA from the nearest Consulate or Embassy in your area. Government clearance is necessary for all foreign nationals entering the Bangladesh. All participants of the convention need to have clearance from Bangladesh High commission and Mission through the Ministry of Foreign and Home Affairs. All participants must send their duly-accomplished pre-registration form to the Secretariat on or before September 30 to effectively facilitate visa requests. 6. How to Get to Dhaka There are plenty of international flights going to Dhaka International Airport. Many travellers use Dhaka as the gateway to the Indian subcontinent to take advantage of cheap fares from Europe. Bangkok and Kolkata are the main destinations for flights in and out of Bangladesh. There are regular flights from all important cities in Asia and beyond. The Airlines, which fly to Dhaka include, Biman Bangladesh Airlines, British Airways, Emirates, Thai, Gulf, Dragon Air, Japan Airlines, Aeroflot, Uzbek Air, Indian Airlines, Oman Air, Sandia, Malyasian Airways, PIA, Qatar Airways, Iran Air. Biman the national flag carrier of Bangladesh now carries the nation's flag to 8 South Asian destinations, 6 South-East and Far-Eastern destinations, 9 destinations to Gulf and Middle-East region and 6 European and North American points. The situation with overland crossings to/from India is vague. The main crossings are at Benapole-Haridispur (on the Kolkata route) and Tamabil-Dawki (on the Shillong route). 7. Arrival and airport transfer Participants are advised to send arrival details to the Secretariat in to enable us to arrange airport pick-ups. Taxi fare to hotel from the airport is USD10. 8. Registration Fee Registration fee is US$50. This covers meals and accommodation from November 25-27, 2004. This fee is waived for all APRN member participants, speakers and APRN supported participants. 9. Hotel accommodation Accommodation has been arranged for the participants on a shared room basis in the same hotel as the conference venue. Accommodation has been booked for November 25-27, 2004 and November 25-28 for APRN members. If you wish to extend your stay or you need to arrive early, please coordinate with Manila Secretariat so we can make the necessary arrangement. 10. Language The conference will be in English and Bengali. Simultaneous translation will be provided. 11. Reconfirmation of return air travel The conference Secretariat will reconfirm your return ticket. Please provide us with the flight details. 12. Meals All meals will be served in the hotel. Please inform the Secretariat any dietary requirement and special needs. Meals will be available the morning of November 25 until the evening of November 27. 13. Reimbursement For participants with CONFIRMED travel subsidy, please keep all your official receipts and a copy of your plane ticket with boarding passes and submit them to the conference secretariat on the first day of the conference. Reimbursement in US dollar will be given before the end of the conference. For APRN members with reimbursements, the USD100 membership fee will be deducted from your refund. This rule applies only to APRN members who have not paid their annual dues. 14. Money Currency: Bangladeshi Taka (Tk) = 100 paisa. Notes are in denominations of Tk500, 100, 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1. Coins are in denominations of Tk5 and 1 and 50, 25, 10 and 5 paisa. Currency exchange: All foreign currency exchanged must be entered on a currency declaration form. Hotel bills must be paid in a major convertible currency or with travellers cheques. Many shops in the cities will offer better rates of exchange than the banks. Credit & debit cards: Limited acceptance of American Express, Diners Club and MasterCard outside the capital. Check with your credit or debit card company for details of merchant acceptability and other services, which may be available. Travellers cheques: Can be exchanged on arrival at Dhaka Airport. To avoid additional exchange rate charges, travellers are advised to take travellers cheques in US Dollars or Pounds Sterling. Currency restrictions: The import and export of local currency is limited to Tk100. Reconversion of local currency is permitted up to Tk500 or 25 per cent of the amount exchanged on arrival. The import of foreign currency is allowed but amounts greater than US$150 must be declared on arrival. The export of foreign currency is limited to US$150 or the amount declared on arrival. Exchange rate : Bangladeshi Taka/US Dollar 59.3750 as of September 10, 2004 Banking hours: Sun-Wed 0900-1500, Thurs 0900-1300. Selected banks may open on Saturdays. 15. Internet The rooms have no internet connection. But there should be an internet caf ƒÆ’ © near the hotel 16. Weather and time It is moderate and cool in November. Max 29 ƒâ€š ° C Min 11 ƒâ€š ° C. GMT+6.00 hours. 17. Airport Tax The departure tax for visitors leaving the country is Tk300 payable in local currency. 18. Electricity 220/240 volts AC; 60 Hz. Plugs are of the British 5 and 15 amp; 2 or 3 pin 9 (round) type. Like it? Share it!
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| Last Updated on Thursday, 27 November 2008 14:52 |
