Advising Your Officials Re SSB's status     By: Barry Pittard Email: bpittard@beachaccess.com.au Date: 06-11-04 As more people exit from the Sathya Sai Organization, there are requests to former devotee global coordinators about how to communicate information to authorities. There are circumstances where your country's authorities may wish to confirm Sathya Sai Baba's status as assessed by an official, accountable organization. E.g., a Ministry of Education, Foreign Ministry, an institution being overtured by Sathya Sai Organization interests, parliamentary representatives, the Media...    Let us take a very recent development. The U.S. State Department has now named Sathya Sai Baba as the subject of its earlier travel warning regarding reports against him of sexual molestation of young males. Its November 23, 2001 travel warning had stated Sathya Sai Baba's location, but not his name.    You can give the following information to the authorities you wish to approach: As of May 25, 2004, the U.S. State Department now names the guru it referred to when warning U.S. travellers to the state of Andhra Pradesh to be aware of reports of "inappropriate sexual behaviour by a prominent local religious leader" practised on young male devotees, including a number of U.S. citizens. (Consular Information Sheet, November 23, 2001). The U.S. State Department will verify that the 'local religious leader' mentioned in the earlier warning notice is in fact Sathya Sai Baba. For enquiries other than by the Media, contact:      John C. Peters, PetersJC2@state.gov. Phone: 202 647-6179      Citizen Services Specialist for India      American Citizen's Services Unit      U.S. State Department      Washington, D.C. Media Enquiries should be made to:       Stuart Patt 202-647-2114. State Department, Washington. Travellers in India may enquire at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi or U.S. Consulate General in Chennai . As soon as I informed it of the U.S. State Department's updated information, the Department of Foreign Affairs, Canberra, Australia was very fast to act and the Executive Director South Asia informed within the hour that he had notified Australia's High Commission in New Delhi. Posted:  Barry Pittard, Australia. Email: bpittard@beachaccess.com.au The U.S Embassy in New Delhi is located at Shantipath, Chanakyapuri 110021; telephone (91)(11)2419-8000; fax (91)(11)2419-0017. The Embassy's Internet homepage address is: http://usembassy.state.gov/delhi.html/  Email: ndcentral@state.gov The U.S. Consulate General in Chennai is located at 220 Anna Salai, Gemini Circle, 600006, telephone (91) (44) 2811-2000; fax (91)(44)2811-2027. The Internet home page address is: http://chennai.usconsulate.gov  Email: chennaic@state.gov