This would give Clinton a chance to use his political skills to tackle longstanding conflicts with rebels in Indonesia's Aceh province who have been fighting for independence since 1976 and Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka - who have been fighting for a separate homeland since 1983.

``The secretary-general is confident that President Clinton will bring energy, dynamism and focus to the task of sustaining world interest in the vital recovery and reconstruction phase following the tsunami disaster,'' a U.N. statement said. ``He believes that no one could possibly be better qualified for this task.'' Published: Tue Feb 1 23:13:01 EST 2005

``We are in a situation where many goods that can affect the national security can easily reach the Tiger organization,'' Wimal Weerawansa, a lawmaker with the People's Liberation Front, wrote in a letter to President Chandrika Kumaratunga.

Weerawansa said helicopters and mobile medical units used by foreign aid workers could fall into rebel hands. However, he didn't name any specific agencies, nor provide any evidence that aid organizations were giving the Tamil rebels any of the equipment.

The People's Liberation Front is a key partner in the ruling coalition, and is known for its vociferous opposition to the Tigers.

Weerawansa urged the government to screen all nongovernment organizations and foreign relief workers, and to draw up a list of items that can be used in the aid operation.

He also claimed that the Tigers were importing instant food used by soldiers and military boots as tsunami relief goods.

At least 31,000 Sri Lankans were killed and nearly a million people were made homeless in the Indian Ocean tsunami on Dec. 26. Dozens of local and international NGOs are helping the island's survivors.

The Tigers and government have squabbled over relief efforts, though a 2002 truce continues to hold.

The rebels began fighting for a separate Tamil state in 1983, claiming discrimination at the hands of the Sinhalese majority. More than 65,000 people died in the fighting. Published: Tue Feb 1 11:42:06 EST 2005

Government records indicate that more than sufficient food supplies have been dispatched to the tsunami-hit town of Batticaloa, 220 kilometers (136 miles) east of the capital Colombo.

So what's happening midstream?

``There is some foul play somewhere down the line,'' an official from the Center for National Operations, David Muller, said Tuesday.

The center coordinates tsunami-related work, and Muller had just returned from a mission to check the accommodation in refugee camps in Batticaloa. During that trip he discovered that people living in several camps were being given poor quality rice and spoiled lentils to eat.

Muller said the government has sent 1,178 metric tons of rice, 380 metric tons of lentils and 241 metric tons of sugar to Batticaloa by far in excess of the area's requirements so there was no reason for anyone in the camps to be given inedible rations.

On Monday, hundreds protested in the neighboring town of Trincomalee, claiming the government had given them no food aid and offered no help to rebuild their lives.

And officials have complained in recent weeks that at least four trucks with rice, lentils and sugar bound for minority ethnic Tamil areas in the north were forcibly diverted by majority Sinhalese mobs and low-ranking government officials to predominantly Sinhalese areas.

``There is definitely some malpractice going on aimed at discrediting the government,'' Muller said.

The chief administrator in Batticaloa, Veilmurugu Shanmugan, said there was no shortage of fresh supplies and that the government was releasing sufficient food to the camps.

``We are looking into the issue,'' Shanmugan said in a telephone interview in response to the complaints. ``We will take necessary action to rectify the situation.''

He said volunteer organizations have taken over the running of some camps and that they might be withholding stocks, but he declined to elaborate or name those organizations.

An umbrella group for local non-governmental organizations said Sri Lankan NGOs are not to blame.

``As far as I know, none of the local non-governmental organizations registered with us is directly involved in aid efforts and distributing food supplies at the camps,'' said A. Selvendren, head of the local NGO consortium. ``But there are others (NGOs) who operate camps and we don't know the situation with them.''

Scores of local, foreign and independent volunteers groups have been engaged in relief work across the island since the Dec. 26 tsunami struck killing more than 30,000 people and displacing 1 million others.

Nearly 3,000 people were killed along Batticaloa's coastline alone, and more than 62,000 people became homeless in the area. Published: Tue Feb 1 08:13:50 EST 2005