A discussion between President Maithripala Sirisena and the members of the Custom Officers Association took place on Thursday. The discussion centered on the introduction of the new Customs Act .

During this discussion, the Custom Officers Association appraised the President that most of the facts included in the Act have been taken from the Customs Acts of other countries and due to this reason, the Act is not suitable for Sri Lanka.

President Sirisena had emphasised that the future steps will be taken subsequent to consultation with the officers of the Finance Ministry and Customs Department within the next three weeks following a comprehensive examination of the existing and proposed Customs Act.

The President further said that he will not give his consent to any proposed amendment of the Act, which would relax the existing rules.

He added that he would pay attention regarding the possibility of adjusting deficiencies of the existing Act.

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