Beijing Bites

Captain released from jail

A retired captain, who was hired by a private ship owner and took seven illegal immigrants to Europe, has been released from jail early for good behavior, the Beijing Times reported.

The 64-year-old captain surnamed Xu retired in 2005 and was hired by a private ship owner to captain the ship in Africa. But when they were about to sail from Africa to Europe, the owner brought seven people on board. In an unnamed European country, the seven people were found to be illegal immigrants. The boss was sentenced to nine years jail and Xu got five years. The seven people were also sentenced to one year in jail and deported back to China in 2006.