COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka's finance minister says the former customs chief has been reinstated after a weeklong "work to rule" action by custom officials at the island's main seaport crippled business in the island's capital.
Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera told reporters Wednesday that he has withdrawn a letter which moved S.P.M. Charles from the customs service to a post in the finance ministry. He said that means she will revert back to her previous position.
On Tuesday, food importers and wholesalers shut their shops in Colombo, demanding the government swiftly resolve the customs strike.
Customs officers began the "work to rule" campaign on Jan. 30 to protest the government's decision to remove Charles and appoint a retired naval officer without customs experience.
