A red carpet was rolled out as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina arrived at Chiang Mai on Sunday afternoon on a three-day official tour to attend the 2nd Asia-Pacific Water Summit (2nd APWS) to be held in Chiang Mai on May 19-20. Minister attached to the Prime Minister’s Office of Thailand Ms Sam Sanee and Bangladesh Ambassador to Thailand Kazi Imtiaz Hossain received the prime minister at the Chiang Mai International Airport after the special flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines landed at Chiang Mai International Airport at 1:50 pm local time.
A Thai official presented a bouquet to the PM.
Later, Hasina was taken in a ceremonial motorcade to Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi where she will be staying during her visit.
Earlier, a special flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines, carrying the Prime Minister and her entourage, left Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 11:15 am.
Cabinet members, high civil and military officials and diplomats saw her off at the VVIP terminal of the airport.
The Prime Minister is leading a 53-member delegation that includes Foreign Minister Dr Dipu Moni, Water Resources Minister Ramesh Chandra Sen, Ambassador at-Large M Ziauddin, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister Shaikh Md Wahid uz Zaman and PM’s Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad.
Later, on Sunday afternoon, Hasina will meet Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea (ROK) Jung Hong-won at the meeting room of Mandarin Oriental prior to visiting the Wiang Kum Kam Historical Site in Chiang Mai. Later, Hasina will attend a dinner hosted by Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra in honour of the heads of delegation at Wiang Kum Kam historical site.
On Monday morning, the Prime Minister will reach International Convention and Exhibition Centre Commemorating the 7th Cycle Birthday Anniversary (CMICE) of the King and will attend a working breakfast hosted by Thai Prime Minister in honour of the attending.
After joining a photo session of the heads of state and government at the Exhibition Hall of CMICE, Hasina will then join the opening ceremony of the Summit where she will deliver her speech.
Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand Dr Plodprasop Suraswadi will make the introductory remarks and place the summary of technical workshops/focus area sessions while Thai Premier Yingluch Shinawatra will make the opening remarks and keynote address on “Disaster and Response : Thailand’s Action and Commitment to Water and Flood Management for the Future.”
President of the 67th Session of the UNGA Vuk Jeremic will deliver the keynote address.
Later, Hasina will join a luncheon to be hosted by the Thai premier at the CMICE.
The Prime Minister will then have a bilateral meeting with her Thai counterpart Yingluck Shinawatra at the meeting room of CMICE.
Wrapping up her three-day tour, Hasina will depart Chiang Mai International Airport on Tuesday at 10 am local time for Dhaka by a special flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines (BG 089) where she will be seen off by a minister-level dignitary of Thailand and the Bangladesh Ambassador to Thailand Kazi Imtiaz Hossain.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her South Korean counterpart Chung Hong-won had a meeting here on Sunday and discussed bilateral issues, including problems in Korean Export Processing Zone (KEPZ) in Bangladesh.
During the meeting held at Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi Hotel in the afternoon, South Korean Prime Minister Chung Hong-won showed keen interest to invest more in Bangladesh and discussed the ways for resolving problems in KEPZ.
-With The Independent input
