The office of the pro-government Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP) came under attack in the town of Batticaloa, 303km east of here by road, a military official in the area said by telephone.

At least four men were wounded in the bombing, the military said.

The military blamed the bomb attack on the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), but there was no immediate comment from the guerrillas who were outlawed by the European Union Monday as a terrorist group.

In the island's northern district of Batticaloa, two EPDP men distributing the party newspaper were shot dead Thursday, officials said.

The Tigers have accused the EPDP of collaborating with security forces to attack them.

The violence came as US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian affairs, Richard Boucher, arrived here for talks with Sri Lankan leaders and businessmen on the island's troubled peace process.

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse yesterday called on more countries to follow the lead of the European Union and label the Tamil Tigers as a terrorist organization.

In an opinion piece in the Asian Wall Street Journal, Rajapakse said foreign governments should do more to stop the flow of money and weapons going to the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

"In today's global war on terror, every terrorist is a threat to the world as a whole, and our struggle against the Tamil Tigers should be seen in this context," Rajapakse wrote.

Rajapakse particularly asked foreign governments to crack down on the Tigers' access to weapons from places such as Afghanistan, Eastern Europe and Central Asian republics.

In addition, he said the Tigers had extensive arms-smuggling operations in Thailand.

Rajapakse also called on Middle Eastern countries to follow the European Union's lead in banning the Tigers given that many expatriate Tamils work there.