Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina called upon the leaders and activists of Awami League to work for the development of Bangladesh and the people.

She made this call when a delegation of Thailand's Awami League paid a courtesy call on the Prime Minister at her residence on Thursday (April 26).

Addressing the leaders and activists, the Prime Minister said, 'You have to work for the development of the country and the people.'

Prime Minister's speech writer Nazrul Islam briefed the journalists.

Bangladesh Awami League President Sheikh Hasina urged the leaders and activists to spread the ideals of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

The Prime Minister said, "Though the Father of the Nation was killed prematurely, his ideals remain with us. That is why I am working to implement his ideals. She also mentioned that Bangabandhu dreamed of bringing smiles to the faces of the poor and distressed people of the country.

Referring to the remarkable progress and development of Bangladesh in the last 15 years, the Prime Minister said that it was possible to achieve this progress because they (her party) were in power for a long time without interruption.

Leaders and activists told the Prime Minister that many Bangladeshis are interested in keeping dual citizenship even if they accept Thai citizenship. They have sought the Prime Minister's intervention to maintain dual citizenship.

In response, the Prime Minister assured that she will talk to the Thai government about this. 

For the second day in a row, extremely intense heat is blowing over Chuadanga, a district in the southwestern part of the country. Temperatures are now touching around 43 degrees Celsius with the mercury rising.

The temperature of this district was recorded at 42.7 degrees Celsius on Friday (April 26) at 3 pm. The humidity in the air is 11 percent which is the highest temperature in the country in this season. According to the local meteorological office, the temperature in this district is likely to increase from April 26-30. Meanwhile, going out of the house has become a challenge due to the scorching sun. Flames of fire seem to be falling from the sky.

According to Chuadanga First Class Meteorological Observatory, the highest temperature of 42.5 degrees Celsius was recorded in the district last Saturday (April 20). Then Sunday (21 April) 42.2 degrees, Monday (22 April) 40.6 degrees, Tuesday (23 April) 39.6 degrees, Wednesday (24 April) 41.2 degrees and Thursday (25 April) 42.2 degrees Celsius was the temperature.

The maximum temperature recorded in this district was 40 degrees Celsius at 12 noon on Friday. Air humidity is 16 percent. At 3 pm the temperature rose to 42.7 degrees Celsius. Air humidity was 14 percent.

Rakibul Hasan, Senior Meteorological Observer of Chuadanga Meteorological Observatory said that since the beginning of April, mild, moderate, severe and very severe heat wave has been flowing over Chuadanga district. The ongoing heat wave will continue until rain. There is no chance of normal rainfall in April. During this time, the discomfort may increase due to the excess of water vapor.

He also said that there is a possibility that the temperature of Chuadanga will increase from April 26 to April 30. He requested everyone to be careful.

Meanwhile, people are under house arrest due to scorching sun and intense heat outside. Most of the people stay at home and rest under the fan without going out. However, a different picture is seen in the case of low income day laborers and working class people. They ignore the intense sun and heat and stay outside in search of livelihood.

Food delivery boy Faisal Iqbal of Chuadanga town said, 'What else can I say, I am delivering people's food to different destinations by cycling in this hot sun. It is very difficult in summer. But it won't happen even if you sit down. At the end of the day, you have to buy food for your family and return home.'

Billal Hossain, the driver of a Chuadanga inter-district bus, said that people are not going out much in this intense sun and heat. So they don't have many passengers. Having to go on a trip with fewer passengers than on other days. They are also suffering financially. 

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina arrived at the Thai Prime Minister's Office on Friday (April 26) morning to attend a bilateral meeting with Thai Prime Minister Sretha Thavisin.

There, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh was welcomed by the Thai Prime Minister with a grand ceremony.

In the bilateral meeting, the two leaders are expected to discuss bilateral and regional issues of mutual interest. After that, several bilateral documents will be signed in the presence of the two Prime Ministers to strengthen cooperation between the two countries.

The two leaders will also meet privately.

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was received by Thai Prime Minister Sretha Thavisin on her arrival at Government House and was given a warm red carpet welcome at the open space in front of Thai Kuh Fah Bhawan.

The Prime Minister of Bangladesh was given a guard of honor by a smart contingent of the Thai Armed Forces. Prime Minister inspects the guard.

Sheikh Hasina signed the guest book at Government House before Thai Prime Minister Sretha Thavisin introduced Sheikh Hasina to her cabinet members.

Before leaving Government House, Sheikh Hasina will attend a formal lunch there.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina left for Thailand on a six-day official visit last Wednesday (April 24) at the invitation of Thai Prime Minister Sretha Thavisin.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said Bangladesh and Thailand have the potential to strengthen cooperation in trade and investment, food security, tourism, public health, energy and ICT sectors.

She said, "I strongly feel that there are opportunities to strengthen our cooperation in trade and investment, food security, tourism, public health, energy, ICT, people-to-people communication and connectivity under BIMSTEC."

She said this at the lunch organized by Thai Prime Minister Sretha Thavisin at Government House on Friday (April 26) in honor of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Earlier, the two leaders held a private meeting for 15 minutes before attending a bilateral meeting there.

After the meeting, 5 bilateral documents - 1 Agreement, 3 Memorandum of Understanding (MOUs) and 1 Letter of Intent (LOI) - were signed in the presence of the two Prime Ministers.

At the luncheon, Sheikh Hasina said that Bangladesh attaches great importance to the relationship with Thailand as its closest neighbor.

She further said that our friendship is deeply rooted in our historical, linguistic and common cultural heritage. The warm and cordial relationship between our two friendly countries continues to grow in multi-faceted areas of cooperation including trade and investment, sustainable development, people-to-people communication and connectivity.

The Prime Minister of Bangladesh said that she and Prime Minister Thavisin had a long discussion on bilateral and regional issues of mutual interest.

She said, we have agreed to make all efforts to increase our bilateral trade and encourage more interaction between the public and private organizations of the two countries. Likewise, we must continue to make every effort to promote and facilitate bilateral investment.

She said, the agreement and memorandum of understanding signed by Dhaka and Bangkok on Friday will provide a solid framework for increasing our bilateral cooperation.

Sheikh Hasina said the visit is part of the larger focus of the 'neighborhood' policy, which provides an excellent opportunity for the two countries to further renew the momentum of bilateral relations.

She said, I believe that this visit will help deepen the relationship between our two countries.

The Prime Minister said that she strongly believes that this visit will give the much-needed momentum to the full potential of bilateral relations.

She said, this official visit will be a milestone in our bilateral relations which ushered in a new era of fruitful partnership between our two countries. In the coming days we must maintain the new momentum of our relationship for the mutual benefit of our people and country.

Bangabandhu's youngest daughter and Sheikh Hasina's sister Sheikh Rehana and Bangabandhu's grandson Radwan Mujib Siddique were present at the lunch.