Samurdhi officers to boycott anti-dengue campaign

Samurdhi officers island-wide have threatened to boycott all anti-dengue campaigns island-wide in protest against the manhandling of a fellow officer by a government Minister.

The Samurdhi officers’ union said that it had instructed all its officers to boycott the campaigns after an officer from the Kelaniya Divisional Secretariat was punished by Highways Minister Mervyn Silva for failing to attend the kick off of the anti-dengue campaign in Kelaniya.

Minister Silva had allegedly got the said officer bound to a mango tree as a punishment for his non-attendance.

The Samurdhi officers’ union says that though engaging in anti-dengue campaigns was not a part of their officially designated duties, almost all officers had willingly participated in these campaigns dur to its humanitarian aspect.