Indonesians cancel Tigard visit 9/20/2005, 10:27 a.m. PT The Associated Press
TIGARD, Ore. (AP) Three officials from Indonesia were forced to cancel their visit to Tigard, their U.S. sister city, after their visa application became ensnared in red tape. The three include the mayor of the Indonesian city of Balikpapan, which is participating in an international exchange with Tigard sponsored by the U.S. Agency for International Development. "The bottom line is the visas...won't be ready in time," said Tigard Mayor Craig Dirksen. Visa applications are taking longer as a result of stricter homeland security measures. Getting international clearance has "become a tighter process and there's more scrutiny given to visas today than there was four or five years ago," said Dennis Taylor, director of international programs at the International City/County Management Association. They contract with the U.S. Agency for International Development to manage the exchange program. The Indonesian delegation consists of eight officials, five of whom will still travel to Tigard Saturday. The visitors will focus on education issues. ___ Information from: The Oregonian, http://www.oregonian.com http://www.oregonlive.com/newsflash/regional/index.ssf?/base/news-12/112723764087500.xml&storylist=orlocal ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Get fast access to your favorite Yahoo! Groups. Make Yahoo! your home page http://us.click.yahoo.com/dpRU5A/wUILAA/yQLSAA/uTGrlB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Post message: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe : [EMAIL PROTECTED] List owner : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/