By Charles Haviland BBC News, Colombo

	A Tamil spokesman denies that they tried to help the LTTE

The vessel was intercepted by the navy late on Thursday and the government said the expedition, which started out in two legs from Britain and France in April and May, was intending to help the now defeated Tamil Tiger rebels.

But a Tamil spokesman denies this.

'LTTE vessel'

A naval team has been searching the Captain Ali vessel but the navy spokesman here told the BBC that up to now it had found only food and medical items etc.

He said investigations were continuing and he couldn't comment on what would happen to the cargo.

Those on board are a British Tamil citizen, 13 crew members from Syria and Egypt, and an Icelandic man who said the search had stopped for now and the navy personnel still on board were very friendly and courteous.

Sri Lanka's defence ministry has described the boat as an "LTTE vessel".

But a London-based spokesman for the voyage, Arjunan Ethirveerasingam, said such a description was divisive and damaging and that the organisers wanted to continue sending aid to the vast number of Tamils displaced by the war.

He said the ship had nothing whatsoever to do with the Tamil Tigers, although he acknowledged that when it first set out, it was planning to go directly to the then war zone.

Mr Ethirveerasingam says he is concerned for the welfare of the man in Sri Lanka due to take delivery of the goods, a diabetic who he says has been in detention since Thursday morning.