BEIJING:  A Chinese man and who led a Christian congregation that opposed a government campaign to remove crosses atop churches have been given long prison sentences for illegal activities, including corruption and disturbing social order, state media said. A court in eastern Zhejiang province on Friday sentenced pastor Bao Guohua to 14 years in prison and his wife, Xing Wenxiang, to 12 years after concluding that they had illegally organised churchgoers to petition the government and disturb social order, according to the state-run Zhejiang Daily newspaper. The couple also was accused of “tricking” members of its congregation into donating $336,000 that was spent on cars and other personal purchases while pretending to lead an ascetic lifestyle, the newspaper said. The court sentenced 10 other church members to prison, the report said, without giving details. Zhejiang’s religious leaders, many of whom lead churches sanctioned by the government, say the attitudes of local authorities have turned sharply negative in recent years as the Christian population grew in number and influence. Several well-known figures who have resisted the government campaign to remove crosses through legal challenges or public denunciations have been targeted with criminal prosecutions.

20 fishermen held

KARACHI: Pakistan has  arrested 20 Indian fisherman for violating the territorial waters of the  country, its maritime security agency said Sunday. The Indian fishermen  were arrested and brought to the Southern city of Karachi early Sunday  morning. Their boats were also seized.

“We are preparing documents to  produce all of them in court tomorrow,” police official Fida Hussain  told AFP. Both Indian and Pakistani fishermen are frequently detained on  the charge, as the two countries’ borders are not clearly defined in  the Arabian Sea and many fishing boats lack the technology needed to be  certain of their precise location. Many are sent to jail before being  handed over to the authorities in their homeland. “The court is likely  to send them to jail for at least a year over the violation,” Hussain  said. The fishermen often languish in jail even after serving their  term, as poor diplomatic ties between the two arch-rivals mean  fulfilling official requirements can take a long time. Shakir Hussain, a  senior prison official at Karachi’s Landhi district jail, said more  than 400 Indian fishermen were currently detained there. — APF