Information On The Bermuda Triangle

COUNTRY DESCRIPTION: Sri Lanka is a presidential parliamentary democracy with a developing economy. A civil war and related urban terrorism have seriously disrupted the country since 1983. On February 22, 2002, The Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) signed an indefinite cease-fire agreement. Peace talks have stalled, but the cease-fire has not been broken to date. In the past, however, the LTTE have abandoned peace talks and reverted to terrorist activities. Despite the armed insurgency, Sri Lanka's beaches and archeological sites attract tens of thousands of visitors from around the world. The capital city of Colombo, the Cultural Triangle (Kandy, Anuradhapura, and Polonnaruwa), all have good tourist facilities. The Tsunami of December 26, 2004 caused se ... [Read More]

Jordan

CRIME: Crime is generally not a serious problem for travelers in Jordan, but petty crime is prevalent in the downtown Amman Hashimiyah Square area and near the Roman Theater. In the narrow streets of the Old City, crowded conditions invite pickpockets and other petty criminals. It is safer to travel in groups when visiting the center of Amman. We urge travelers to be more guarded in these areas so that they do not present easy opportunities to criminals. Purse-snatchings in central and western Amman are reportedly on the increase. In several cases, thieves in moving vehicles snatched pedestrians' purses and drove off. In some instances, victims were injured when they were unable to free themselves from their purses. When carrying a purse, it would be wise to conceal it if possible, to avoid walking ... [Read More]

M) Money Laundering and Financial Crimes

The following are summaries of the most significant priority issues:Refocus Efforts of High Intensity Financial Crime Areas (HIFCAs). HIFCAs are special, high-risk areas or sectors where law enforcement will concentrate its resources and energy to combat money laundering. The 2001 Strategy mandated that the HIFCA task forces become operational and conduct investigations designed to result in indictments, convictions, and seizures, rather than focus primarily on intelligence gathering. Each of the six HIFCA Task Forces is now actively working cases. HIFCA Task Forces are composed of, and draw upon, all relevant federal, state, and local agencies. The Departments of Treasury and Justice jointly supervise the HIFCA Task Forces, and the 2001 Strategy primarily tasks the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) and Justice’s Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section to develop an advanced money laundering training program to enhance the HIFCA Task Forces’ abili ... [Read More]

Money Laundering and Financial Crimes

(1) As DEA also points out, "In some cases, the agent (business) may represent a variety of remittance companies. When this is the case, the agent may suggest dividing the deposit, sending a portion with each of the represented businesses (companies). Thus, detection is increasingly challenging."Federal authorities at the conference also highlighted the recent growth of smaller independent remitters (beyond the more established Western Union and MoneyGram systems), particularly of those providing service to and from Mexico. DEA reported that although these remitters provide important legitimate services to migrant worker populations, the location of these businesses, "do not necessarily parallel the employment centers for these laborers. Rather, it appears that the agent locations are primarily located in states without regulations governing the money services industry." ... [Read More]

US Department Of State Post Report

Although most children attend Lincoln, parents also can choose among a number of local private schools that are also bilingual, both in the suburbs and the city.  Some of the schools that Embassy children currently attend are the Buenos Aires International Christian Academy (BAICA), Northlands and Saint Andrew’s Scots School, all of which offer programs from PreK through grade 12.  All except BAICA run on a different academic calendar with the school year starting in February.  This alternate calendar has proven attractive to several families arriving in the middle of the year.  Northlands and Saint Andrew’s also offer strong Spanish programs. Contact the CLO for more information on these schools. Higher Education OpportunitiesLast Updated:  11/17/2003 10:36 AM  [Read More]

M) Money Laundering and Financial Crimes

As part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Netherlands Antilles participates in the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). It is a member of the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF). In 1999, the Netherlands extended application of the 1988 UN Drug Convention to the Netherlands Antilles. The Kingdom of the Netherlands, of which the Netherlands Antilles is a part, signed the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism on January 10, 2000. In accordance with Netherlands Antilles law, which stipulates that all the legislation must be in place prior to ratification, the Government of the Netherlands Antilles is preparing legislation which will enable the Netherlands Antilles to ratify the Convention. The Netherlands’s Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty with the United States also applies to the Netherlands Antilles. With regard to requests for assistance relating to fiscal offenses addressed to the Netherlands Antilles, an agreement was signed in April ... [Read More]

US Department Of State Post Report

In order to sell a vehicle imported under duty-free privileges, the Embassy must notify the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), which then passes the information on to the Director of Government Supplies. The Department of Government Supplies will then schedule the vehicle for a valuation.  At the time of the valuation, the Embassy must provide a copy of the original invoice listing the c.i.f. value of the vehicle, a declaration of the duty payable on the vehicle, and the local agent's valuation of the vehicle at the time of purchase (usually the same as the c.i.f. value on the original invoice). The Department of Government Supplies uses a depreciation schedule to make its evaluation, but such is subject to change frequently and without notice. ... [Read More]

Money Laundering and Financial Crimes

Prior to December 1995, the GOB's seizure and disposition of the assets of individuals accused and/or convicted of narcotics-related crimes was governed by the Controlled Substances Law No. 1008, which permitted the sale of seized property upon Supreme Court affirmation of the conviction of the defendant. To accelerate the disposition process, in 1995 Supreme Decree No. 24196 was issued, which permitted the sale of seized assets with the consent of the accused and in certain other limited circumstances. Overall, judges have refused to enforce Decree No. 24196 on the basis that it is unconstitutional, since it deprives the accused of his/her property without due process, i.e., without a final Supreme Court determination that the accused was guilty. It was hoped that provisions contained in the 1999 Code of Criminal Procedures would remedy the situation by permitting the sale of certain types of property with or without the consent of the accused, on the grounds that the asset might lose ... [Read More]

US Department Of State Post Report

The Czech Republic lies in the heartland of Central Europe. It is bordered to the west and northwest by Germany, to the northeast by Poland, to the southeast by Slovakia, and to the south by Austria.  The Czech Republic is almost entirely surrounded by mountains. To the north and northeast are the Sudetes Mountains, which include the Krkonose Mountains and Mt. Snazka, the highest point in the country. To the southeast along the Czech-Slovak border are the Carpathian Mountains. The Sumava Mountains in the southwest form the border with Germany. These mountain ranges protect the country from the extremes of western and northern European winters. ... [Read More]