http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/US-pastor-admitted-to-hosp...

KOCHI: US pastor William Lee, arrested and remanded in judicial custody for violating visa norms, has been admitted to the Thrissur Medical College after he complained of chest pain and breathing problems.

Hours after he was remanded in judicial custody and taken to the Ernakulam sub-jail on Saturday, Lee was shifted to the Ernakulam Government General Hospital and later taken to the medical college.

Sub-jail officials said that as the accused was a foreign national, the authorities did not want to take a chance and immediately shifted him from the jail to the government general hospital when he complained of chest pain and breathing trouble.

"When we took him to the general hospital, the doctors at the hospital advised us to shift him to Thrissur Medical College," the official said and added by 7.15pm on Saturday, he was shifted to the medical college.

"He did not have anything from the sub-jail, not even a glass of water. He will be most probably shifted to Viyyur Central Prison as the sub-jail does not have the facilities to hold a foreign national. "We have to follow separate diet for a foreigner in the sub-jail. Only the central prison has provisions for it," the official said.

Thrissur Medical College superintendent R Mahadevan said that Lee was admitted on Saturday night and a team of doctors was evaluating his health. "He has complained of chest pain and respiratory problems. The doctors are closely examining him. We have not started any medication so far," the superintendent said.

Lee, who gave police the slip after being rounded up for violating visa norms at a gospel convention venue in the city, was taken into custody again by the police from a five-star hotel in Willingdon Island on Saturday morning.

According to the police, Lee had violated Indian visa norms when he addressed the gathering at the convention organized by Faith Leaders Church of God. Indian visa rules prohibit a person visiting the country on a tourist visa from addressing any meetings.

The pastor came to Kochi on October 5 with a multiple-entry tourist visa valid up to March 20 next year. Police had sent a report to the Union government to black list him as persona non grata.