Kerala - Kochi   

‘Kerala participants in Sydney meet to return on Wednesday’

KOCHI: All Keralites who have gone to attend a World Youth Day event in Sydney are expected to be back on Wednesday, says Kerala Catholic Youth Movement, which organised their trip.

Father Jayson Kollannoor, director of the KCYM, told The Hindu that his organisation was able to contact most of them and that it was unlikely that any of them would stay back in New Zealand or Australia.

Only three or four Keralites had stayed back in New Zealand for a few days but they had later joined others in Sydney.

Of the nearly 700 Indians who had left on the Sydney trip, 39 had ‘absconded’ in New Zealand while touring that country ahead of the meet in Sydney, which is being attended by Pope Benedict XVI.

Of the 39, three had later been traced and the others were suspected to be trying to become illegal immigrants in New Zealand.

Fr. Kollannoor said that around 110 people had gone on the trip from Kerala and of them 85 were sent by the KCYM.

There was also a 20-member music band called Rex Band of Jesus Youth.

He claimed that none of these participants was likely to stay back and turn themselves as illegal immigrants.

He noted that those who had ‘absconded’ in New Zealand were mostly people from Punjab and Jharkhand.

There were 172 people from Punjab alone on the Indian delegation.

Fr. Kollannoor said that the trip was at a subsidised rate and that the KCYM had operated it on a no-profit no-loss basis.

Most of those who had gone on the trip from Kerala had paid only Rs. 64,750, which included the airfare, cost of the visa and other travel expenses.

Accommodation for them was arranged for free by the local Catholic parishes in Australia and New Zealand.

Fr. Kollannoor said that the World Youth Day event would get over by Sunday afternoon.

The participants from Kerala would leave Melbourne by Tuesday evening and arrive at Kolkata on Wednesday morning.

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