SRI LANKAN DEATH SENTENCE COMMUTED

the death sentence of a Sri Lankan army major caught spying for the Tamil Tiger rebels was commuted to life imprisonment by the country's president. Military spokesman Prasad Samarasinghe said Piyasiri Perera had been caught passing information on key economic and military targets to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Perera, who was found guilty on five espionage counts, was believed to be the first person ever charged with treason in the war-torn island nation. No further details were available.