In face of severe protest from customs officials and members of the Administrative Service, the government today appointed Finance Ministry Additional Secretary H.G. Sumanasinghe as the Acting Director General of the Customs Department.

The Finance Minister's decision to appointed retired Navy officer, Rear Admiral Shemal Fernando as the new Director General of Sri Lanka Customs has sparked fierce protest from many quarters. 

The Cabinet of ministers approved Fernando's appointment as the new Director General of the Customs Department. 

Customs officers working at the Colombo Port launched a trade union action yesterday demanding the removal of Fernando. 

Meanwhile, the Sri Lanka Administrative Service Association (SASA) also issued a hard-hitting statement today raising vehement objections to the former Navy officer's appointment. 

They said it was always the norm to appoint an official from the Sri Lanka Administrative Serice as the Director General of Customs.