P.S.M. Charles reinstated as Sri Lanka Customs DG

Ms P.S.M. Charles has been reinstated as the Director General of Sri Lanka Customs for a period of three months.

Minister Mano Ganesan said the decision was reached during the meeting of Cabinet Ministers today (5).

He said that Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera withdrew the Cabinet paper seeking to transfer P.S.M. Charles from the position of Customs DG.

The minister further said that she was reinstated in the position for a period of 3 months and that her performance will be observed during this period.

Customs trade unions launched a work-to-rule campaign last week opposing Minister Samaraweera’s decision to remove Ms. Charles from the position and replace her with a retired navy officer.

The trade union action, which had crippled services provided by Customs, had entered day seven today (5) while several trade unions of state departments, institutions and corporations had supported the protest.