The Tigers' intention was conveyed during a meeting with Norway's ambassador to Colombo Hans Brattskar and Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission chief Hagrup Haukland on Thursday.

Subsequently, the government was informed that the guerrillas planned to re-man offices in the island's north and east, some of which had been shut for more than three months.

The reopening is expected to commence next week.

The cease-fire agreement allows the Tigers to set up offices for political work, just as much as it permits the travel of unarmed rebels in government-held areas to engage in political activities.

However, the security forces have on more than one occasion found arms and ammunition stored in these "offices," and suspected that the buildings were being used as safe-havens for the Tigers' to engage in violence.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam had been fighting since 1983 to cave out a separate state in Sri Lanka's Tamil-majority north and east. Nearly 65,000 people were killed before Norway brokered a cease-fire agreement in February 2002.

Violence spiraled in December and January threatening to end a tenuous four-year old truce. But subsequently Norway managed to clinch an agreement for the parties to meet for talks in Geneva late February.

The negotiations _ first in three years _ ended with a pledge by the government and Tigers to end the violence and meet again in April. Discuss this story Published: Sun Mar 19 12:47:40 EST 2006

Among the reasons for moving out of the chateau was that the venue was already booked during the April 19-21 period, officials involved in the peace process said on condition of anonymity.

The chateau situated in Celigny, just outside the Swiss capital Geneva is owned by the World Council of Churches. Though referred to as a chateau or castle, it is more like a hostel and often used as an international study and conference center, according to locals.

Some of the other reasons to rule out Bossey, included complaints from some members of the delegation, housed on the attic floor of the chateau that they had knocked their heads on the roof!

The Chateau de Bossey was picked for the Feb. 22-23 talks _ the first high-level meeting between the parties in three years _ as it was also known for its enigmatic effects toward reconciliation. The buildings of the institute date mostly from the 18th and 19th centuries and are surrounded by gardens, woods and vineyards with a splendid view of Lake Geneva and the Swiss Alps.

Swiss officials who are in charge of finalizing the venue for the next round of negotiations are currently exploring several options on where to host the talks, the officials said. Discuss this story Published: Sun Mar 19 12:10:54 EST 2006

There was no immediate comment Sunday from the rebels, who have fought since 1983 to create a separate homeland for the island country's minority ethnic Tamils, claiming discrimination by the majority Sinhalese.

A Norway-brokered 2002 cease-fire has been severely strained by rising violence that the military blames on the Tigers, who deny responsibility.

On Sunday, Samarasinghe reported a separate incident in which Tamils in the eastern village of Wakaneri had complained to the nearest army camp that the Tigers had threatened them to join armed training.

Sri Lanka - 's military has long accused the Tiger of abducting young fighters. The rebels deny the charges, saying rival guerrilla factions are responsible for the abductions.

The Tigers split in 2004, and the mainstream group accuses the army of backing the breakaway faction. The army denies the claim.

On Friday, Sri Lanka - 's military said an underage fighter surrendered to the army after fleeing a rebel camp in the northeastern town of Trincomalee.

``One more schoolboy abducted and subsequently conscripted to the LTTE has managed to flee the (rebel) camp and sought protection from the army camp,'' the military said on its Web site, without giving the teenager's name.

The underage soldier issue figured prominently in government-rebel talks last month in Geneva on ways to preserve the quickly fraying cease-fire.

The talks were the two sides' first direct meeting in nearly three years.

Escalating violence since December has killed about 150 people, including 81 government security personnel. Both sides agreed in Geneva to try to quell the violence, and to meet again in April.

Discuss this story Published: Sun Mar 19 02:39:53 EST 2006