A bomb attack that killed four people in Sri Lanka’s northern peninsula marked another episode in a series of increasing tit-for-tat exchanges between the country’s military and insurgents, prompting Japan to issue an aid warning. “We could be forced to review our aid policy if military action keeps escalating,” said Japanese special peace envoy Yasushi Akashi. The Sri Lankan defense ministry attributed the attack to a suicide bomber affiliated with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, a separatist rebel group embroiled in a 35-year war with the government. Japan is the most generous donor to the conflict-torn state.
Source: Sri Lanka blast kills four, Japan warns of aid cut (AFP)