Fiji's military said it was not ruling out the death...

Fiji's military said it was not ruling out the death penalty for soldiers found guilty of treason because of their involvement in the May 19 coup. Although the death penalty has not been used in Fiji since independence 30 years ago, it is still on the law books for certain serious crimes. Treason charges against eight soldiers of the army's Counter-Revolutionary Warfare Unit who carried out the coup were dropped by prosecutors the previous week so they could be court-martialled, but army spokesman Major Howard Politini said the men could face treason charges again and lose their lives if found guilty. He says although it may be the first time that treason charges are laid against soldiers in Fiji, it does carry a mandatory death penalty.