Canadian prime minister Paul Martin flew into Cork airport amid tight security yesterday evening to attend a commemoration in west Cork today to mark the 20th anniversary of the Air India atrocity when 329 people were killed.
Mr Martin will join President McAleese, British Columbia premier Gordon Campbell and ambassador Saurabh Kumar of India to attend the ceremony at the Air India memorial at Ahakista near Durrus.
More than 200 relatives of the 307 passengers and 22 crew who died are also expected to attend the ceremony which starts at 8am. The ceremony is timed to coincide with the time that a bomb planted by Sikh extremists exploded at 8.13am on June 23rd, 1985, as the aircraft was en route from Vancouver and Montreal to New Delhi via London.
White balloons representing the 329 who died and two baggage handlers who were killed in another Sikh extremist explosion at Toyko's Narita airport on the same day will be released and 331 white lamps will be set afloat at sea.
Wreaths will be laid and addresses will be given by President McAleese, Mr Martin, Mr Kumar and representatives of the families of those who died.
One hundred and thirty-one bodies were recovered 100 miles off Cork and brought to Cork University Hospital. The hospital held an ecumenical memorial service yesterday.
