The Cabinet has decided to re-appoint S.M. Charles as the Director General of the Customs Department for a period of three months.
Charles
Accordingly, the Cabinet paper presented by Finance and Media Minister Mangala Samaraweera seeking to appoint retired Rear Admiral Shemal Fernando as the Customs Director General has been withdrawn.
As a result of the new move, the work to rule campaign launched by Customs trade unions is likely to be called off today.
Unions alleged that Charles’ removal was engineered after she ordered probes on 143 suspicious containers. Minister Samaraweera, however, said that Charles was removed as the revenue from the department plummeted under her watch.
Some of these containers had direct links to Thusitha Halloluwa, a Coordinating Secretary of Finance and Media Minister Mangala Samaraweera, the subject minister of the Customs Department. Halloluwa had exerted pressure on Charles to appoint his ‘associates’ at the Customs Department to probe the suspicious containers and transfer the officers who are currently handling the issue.
Raj / February 6, 2019
Trade Unions should call off the strike only for 3 months. They should inform the government Ranil Wickremasinghe that they would resume it (the strike with other unions) in 3 months.
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Kalupahana / February 6, 2019
Yes TUs must be vigilant. The big picture is the sabotage of key institutions in Sri Lanka, in order to benefit America First and Global 1 percent, by Washington’s puppet Bondscam Ranil so that US military bases, code named Logistics Hubs may be set up and weapons brought into Lanka without customs checks. Maybe nuclear weapons too.
All border controls, customs and immigration INSTITUTIONS are being undermined by Bondscam Ranil and his thieves, just as he did the Central Bank and the Survey dept. to set up a ‘Land bank’ to destroy Lanka’s food security, fill paddy lands, and sell them to US property speculators.
Now the latest Trumpland Neo Con scam is to set up Voting machines to rigged elections in Sri Lanka so that US puppet Bondscam Ranil is kept in power. Bondscam Ranil must be impeached for endangering democracy in Lanka and looting CBSL.
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Siripala Maduwage / February 6, 2019
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Roger / February 6, 2019
Mamgalaya you are a bloody rogue. Though you try to play a clean politician role, underneath you are a corrupt, opportunistic rogue
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K.Pillai / February 6, 2019
Cabinet has decided to re-appoint Charles as Customs DG for..………….
{“…..Minister Samaraweera, however, said that Charles was removed as the revenue from the department plummeted under her watch……”}.
Mangala: Please provide figures to back this claim.
.
{“………….As a result of the new move, the work to rule campaign launched by Customs trade unions is likely to be called off today………..”}.
Trade Unions are back. Look out Vasu! Look out Dinesh!
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Paul / February 6, 2019
I like this lady. I don’t care whether she is Tamil, Muslim, Sinhala or anything else, she is upright. That is all that matters. I hope she is not pushed out and does not end up emigrating as so many other upright people have.
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vinodhini kalupahana / February 6, 2019
Mussamil,
Thanks
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Good Sense / February 6, 2019
Common Sense tells me that it was trade union action impacting the country to the hilt that paved way for this three month watch period. What is this revenue plummeting story? Who is going to buy that story? Clearly if you totally prohibit the importation of a consignment on grounds that it is harmful to the country, instead of just taxing or imposing a nominal fine then there has to be a comparative revenue drop. Don’t tell me that Hon. Mangy has now “educated himself” to speak of revenue drops to kick out anybody and everybody that Bull Oluwa (Halloluwa) wants dismissed. If so it is pretty neat of him to build that story. The Cabinet had to take his side. But Mangy! Instead of talking all those plummets had you told that there is a crying need for another Deputy Secretary’s post (You can invent the duty list) and a person of the calibre of Ms. Charles need be appointed, no fellow then would be in a position to protest. Mangy! Learn the Works!
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gusthapo / February 6, 2019
thanks Musamil for the guts to say the truth
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thondamany / February 6, 2019
Paul, you are spot on.
Mangol looking for a scapegoat in that Hallloluwa.
For once all the Trade Unions at the Customs stood by Mrs. Charles.
It is clear indication that Customs has taken a right direction for major change in work ethics under the leadership of Mrs. Charles.
Kick the Minister out.
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cholan / February 7, 2019
What a coincident in Malaysia one Tamil Mr.Subramaniam is the Customs Director General here one Tamil Lady.
Both have to work hard to catch the majority race criminals involved in Drug smuggling.
Cheers
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Paul / February 7, 2019
Cheers Cholan, the racist troll is back from his lunch break.
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Nathan / February 7, 2019
Oh mangala you are at it again ruining our blessed Thambapani. What bull shit you are saying about the sacking of the Customs DG? Oh you want a much tougher person to catch the criminals? Come on be sensible of what you utter. I had some regards for you and now to see you are another of the many other scumbags. Hope our Sinhala brothers to realise how they messed up things using racism as a tool and destroying the minority that were more hard working, more honest and more informed and more productive. There is no hope for us. I am now seriously thinking of buggering off from this blessed land by Buddha.
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shankar / February 7, 2019
mangala and charles have kissed and made up.This is what you call tamil sinhala reconciliation(both don’t enjoy the kissing,but they grit their teeth and do it for the future generations).
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Uncommon man / February 8, 2019
There is more to it than meets the eye.
So many containers and ships have come and gone undetected and without controversy. Why this halabaloo only now? It is because this lady Charles is an outsider and without knowing the gravity of it has dared to challenge. Poor thing , she is in a soup. Her predecessors very happily played ball with business tycoons and politicos and were able to reap benefits for themselves at the cost of citizens’ revenue.
People first thought that it was Heroin, cocaine, hashish , pepper, drumsticks or brinjals in the controversial containers. Now it appears that these containers are suspected heavy weapons including firearms and explosives of high calibre and linked to ISIS activities in Srilanka. The protagonists include a powerful cabinet minister from the Wanni and a recently appointed Governor in the periphery. Hundreds of young men( including the two aforementioned) and women “educated”, trained and indoctrinated in the Naleeimiya Islamic School in Beruwela (established in memory of the famous philanthropist Naleem Hajiar) peddling extremist fundamentalist and violent religious ideas eager to emulate their brethren abroad, are now spread all over the country in the name of Jihad organization. It has it’s strong activities in the East especially in Kathankudi a town that boasts of the highest population density per sq. mile in the whole of Asia. This is in addition to the discovery of a large cache’ of arms and weapons from an 80 acre land in Puttalam. CID has arrested 56 suspects connected to the incident however are still unable to get information on the kingpins. There are the so called madarasas which have sprouted up all over the island. God (sic) knows what type of activities are going on in these places.
Actually we are sitting on a volcano ready to explode. Will the Charles fiasco bring out the entire truth?
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thondamany / February 8, 2019
Cholan you rascal, Mrs. P.S.M.Charles is a daughter of the Motherland.
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