Wednesday, October 21, 1998; 10:46 a.m. EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Eight House members, taking their cue from the arrest of former Chilean President Augusto Pinochet by British authorities, have asked President Clinton to bring to justice Cuban President Fidel Castro.

The lawmakers said in a letter to Clinton that Castro should be punished for his alleged role in the deaths of four Cuban exiles whose unarmed plane was shot down by MiG jets near the Cuban coast two years ago.

They noted that Pinochet is in British custody awaiting possible extradition to Spain, where is he wanted for the murder of Spanish citizens when he ruled Chile.

``Without minimizing the immensity of Castro's crimes perpetrated throughout the last 40 years, the killing of Americans in the Florida Straits on February 24, 1996, clearly provides the basis for immediate legal action by the Justice Department,'' the lawmakers said.

They urged that U.S. authorities review the efforts by Spanish courts in the Pinochet case and to take similar steps against Castro.

The letter, dated Monday, was signed by Republican Reps. Lincoln Diaz-Balart and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida; Dana Rohrabacher and William Thomas of California; Michael Forbes, Gerald Solomon and Peter King of New York; and Democratic Rep. Robert Menendez of New Jersey.