In excess of 50 local campaigners turned up at the Chester Tandoori Restaurant on Friday night, 26^th of October for a Bangladeshi meal and to hear a speaker from the Tameside Racial Equality Council speaking on poverty in Bangladesh caused in part by the burden of unpayable debt owed by its government to other countries and international banks. Ahmed Ali spoke of how Bangladesh, a peaceful country with good relationships with its neighbours India and Pakistan had conducted its own fight against terrorism. He spoke of the ‘poverty cycle’ in that country where people especially in the countryside are isolated through poverty. They feel powerless and are unable to help themselves due to the physical weakness caused by poverty. He told how 60% of the population are illiterate and how a miniscule amount of funding goes to health and education. Because the infrastructure is unable to employ sufficient of the population people are obliged to emigrate to support their families back home. He went on to tell that a new government had been elected but it needs to be better and more transparent and more money is needed for education, training and jobs The G.8. governments must cancel Bangladesh’s international debt and then ensure that savings made are spent of health, education and training. There is no Social Security in Bangladesh, a country where you work, emigrate or starve so the campaign is a good and noble cause and he is proud to be associated with it.

Abdul Noor the proprietor of the Chester Tandoori Restaurant spoke of the high incidence of infant mortality and abject poverty of this downtrodden people and he reminded his audience that every minute a child dies due to poverty, a shocking statistic.

Campaigners signed a letter to Chester M.P., Christine Russell, sending her their greetings and urging her to attend a meeting at Westminster Hall on Wednesday 1^st November when a statement would be issued from the Department for International Development. The letter went on to urge Mrs. Russell to do all in her power to encourage wider as well as deeper debt relief.

Leaving the restaurant, Peter Linsey, local organiser for the Jubilee Debt Campaign remarked,"Campaigning is not all about standing in the rain with petitions. Functions like these show that it can be fun as well."

While the main focus of this dinner was the effects of Bangladeshi debt and the fact that the country is not even being considered for debt remission or cancellation, it was also good to show our solidarity with the Bangladeshi community in Chester and Britain at large at a time when some people here are taking advantage of the outrage in New York to commit racist acts.