The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Friday announced the closing down of their last remaining office in north Sri Lanka.

An ICRC release said the decision was based on a request by the government that they must run their operations exclusively from the capital Colombo.

The ICRC operated in Sri Lanka since 1980s in the island's northern and eastern areas where they facilitated the exchange of the war dead and helped trace the disappeared during the civil conflict which ended May 2009.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka's media center for national security said a new piece of legislation would soon be introduced to monitor the activities of the non governmental organizations both foreign and local.

Around 11,000 NGOs are already registered in Sri Lanka but there are thousands more who are not, Laxman Hulugalle, a top official said.