Jan. 17 (Bloomberg) -- James Morris, the head of the World Food Program, visited an area in northern Sri Lanka held by Tamil Tiger rebels, as part of a tour to assess aid needs after last month's tsunami disaster that killed more than 30,000 Sri Lankans.

Morris met yesterday with S.P. Thamilchelvan, political leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, according to TamilNet, the group's Web site.

The Tamil Tigers last week denounced a decision by the government not to allow United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan to travel to rebel-held areas when he visited the South Asian island nation last weekend.

Sri Lanka's government has dismissed as propaganda Tamil Tiger charges that the army delayed relief aid to rebel-held areas in the northeast of the country. The government of President Chandrika Kumaratunga says it needs $1.2 billion to pay for reconstruction after the Dec. 26 tsunami disaster.

The rebels said earlier this month as many as 19,000 people were killed by the giant waves in the northeastern region.

The number of Sri Lankans in need of food aid may rise by 100,000 to 850,000 in the coming days, Agence France-Presse cited Morris as saying yesterday after meeting Tamil Tiger leaders in Kilinochchi.

``The visit to Kilinochchi was very important because it was a very graphic opportunity for the WFP to demonstrate that we are solely focused on humanitarian issues,'' AFP cited Morris as saying yesterday in the capital, Colombo.

The Tamil Tigers and the government have been observing a cease-fire since February 2002. Peace negotiations are stalled over Tamil Tiger demands that talks focus on creating a Tamil interim self-governing administration. The Tamil Tigers have been fighting for a separate homeland since 1983, in a conflict that has killed more than 60,000 people.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam is designated a terrorist group by the U.S., the U.K. and India.

To contact the reporter on this story: Paul Tighe in Sydney or at ptighe@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: January 16, 2005 18:52 EST