United News of Bangladesh

Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus has met former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, seeking his valuable support in strengthening bilateral relations and contributing to the resolution of the Rohingya crisis to help bring a lasting peace to the region. The meeting was held at the Shangri-La Hotel in Bangkok on Friday. Prof Yunus also thanked the former Thai Prime Minister for his efforts to expand Thai-Bangladesh trade and cooperation during his time as the Prime Minister of the South East Asian nation. During the meeting, they also discussed the global trade issues and expansion of microcredit and social businesses in rural Thailand, said Chief Adviser's Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder. Prof Yunus also enquired about the health of Thaksin, an old friend of the 2006 Nobel Peace Laureate. Ready to provide further humanitarian support: Dr Yunus tells Myanmar PM Soon after taking office in 2001, then PM Thaksin visited Bangladesh and Grameen Bank with his colleagues and designed a microcredit programme for Thailand inspired by the success of the Grameen Bank microcredit programme. Dr Yunus had been invited by Mr Thaksin as the chief guest in the national launching of the programme that year. They also discussed the possible re-launch of the airline route between Chiang Mai and Chattogram, which had brought the flight time between Bangladesh and Thailand to one hour. Thaksin recalled then Prime Minister Khaleda Zia flying together from Chattogram to Chiang Mai on the inaugural flight. Hugely inflated, bulk of them were fake news: Yunus tells Modi over attacks on minorities Prof Yunus and Thaksin discussed other issues of mutual interest. The Chief Adviser sought Thaksin's support for Bangladesh's plan to become an ASEAN member. Lamiya Morshed, Senior Secretary and SDGs Affairs Principal Coordinator of the Bangladesh government, was present during the meeting.

Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on Friday urged the Prime Minister of Thailand, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, to ease visa procedures for the Bangladeshi citizens travelling to the South East Asian kingdom. The head of the Interim Government raised the issue when he met the Thai Prime Minister on the sidelines of the BIMSTEC Summit in the Thai capital, Bangkok. The Chief Adviser said the Thai embassy in Dhaka does not have the capacity to process more visas, resulting in a long delay and queue of the Bangladeshi people waiting to travel to Thailand. "Bangladeshi people who seek treatment in Thailand face a lot of visa difficulties," Professor Yunus said and sought the Thai Prime Minister's support in this regard. Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra assured the Bangladesh leader that she would look into the issue. The Chief Adviser also called for expanded trade, shipping and maritime relations, and air connectivity between the two countries. Professor Yunus said Bangladesh and Thailand can reduce travel time if flights are launched from Chittagong. He recalled the impact made by Air Asia when it launched a flight between Chittagong and the Thai resort city of Chiang Mai more than a decade ago. Bangladesh seeks Sri Lanka's support to bring back stolen money The Thai Prime Minister congratulated Professor Yunus on assuming the chairmanship of BIMSTEC, saying the Bangladesh leader will infuse new dynamism in the regional grouping. Professor Yunus began his meeting by reflecting on the longstanding and excellent bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Thailand. He paid tribute to the late King Bhumibol, who played a key role in Thailand’s early recognition of an independent Bangladesh in 1972. The discussion also focused on investment, with Professor Yunus inviting Thai companies to join next week's investment summit in Dhaka. He also highlighted the importance of improving rail, road, maritime, and air connectivity between the two nations to facilitate increased bilateral trade. In this context, he suggested that Bangladesh would like to participate in the trilateral highway project involving Thailand, India, and Myanmar when conditions permit. Professor Yunus proposed that both countries initiate a Joint Feasibility Study for a bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA) as soon as possible, with a view to starting formal negotiations. 

Under the sustainable economic development model of Bangladesh and the bio-circular-green economy model of Thailand, there are ample opportunities to step up economic cooperation between the countries, Sarun Charoensuwan, deputy permanent secretary of the Thai foreign ministry, said Friday. He was speaking at a seminar on trade and investment opportunities organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand to mark the 50 years of diplomatic ties between Bangladesh and Thailand. Maleka Parveen, chargé d'affaires of the Bangladesh Embassy in Bangkok, also spoke at the programme. Read: Thailand now offering 10-year visa: Who are eligible? She stressed the importance of the exchange of business delegations. She hoped that through this seminar, the businessmen and investors of the two countries would be able to learn more about the sector-based benefits and opportunities provided by the governments of Bangladesh and Thailand. Representatives from academia, the Board of Investment of Thailand, Thai investors in Bangladesh, the Thai Halal Food Manufacturers and Exporters Association and representatives of Thai public and private sectors participated in the event. Read: Seeds For The Future competition: Eight Bangladeshi students fly to Thailand Md Ariful Haque, director of the International Investment Development Division of the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority, joined the session online. He focused on the investment opportunities and prospects for Thai investors in Bangladesh.