Customs to reopen offices in Jaffna and KKS

by Dhaneshi YATAWARA

Sri Lanka Customs will re-establish its Jaffna and Kankesanthurai offices in January next year, said its spokesperson and Additional Director General of Customs Ajantha Dias.

"We will be setting up parcel post clearance units in Jaffna and Kankesanthurai and a preventive unit in Kankesanthurai," Dias said.

The Customs is refurbishing its Trincomalee sub office and hopes to reopen it by the end of the year.

The Sri Lanka Customs offices in Palali, Kankesanthurai, Jaffna, Talaimannar and Trincomalee had parcel post clearance and preventive units and operated anti-smuggling activities. Offices in the Northern Province became defunct since 1983 due to increased terrorist activities.

"Since the parcel post clearance unit was not operating in the North, people had to travel either to Colombo or Trincomalee to clear imported items and at times the travel expenses were much higher than the value of the item," he said.

The Trincomalee Customs office is now operating under a Deputy Director of Customs, he said.