P. S. M. Charles

Prince Sarojini Manmatharajah Charles is a Sri Lankan civil servant who has served as the Governor of the Northern Province of Sri Lanka on two occasions.

P. S. M. Charles
7th Governor of the Northern Province
Assumed office
17 May 2023
PresidentRanil Wickremesinghe
Preceded byJeevan Thiagarajah
In office
30 December 2019 – 11 October 2021
PresidentGotabaya Rajapaksa
Preceded bySuren Raghavan
Succeeded byJeevan Thiagarajah
Personal details
Political partyIndependent
Alma materUniversity of Jaffna
OccupationCivil servant
EthnicitySri Lankan

Charles is a Catholic and the daughter of a school principal.[1] She has a degree from the University of Jaffna and masters degrees in disaster management and business administration from the University of Peradeniya and Rajarata University of Sri Lanka.[2][3]

Charles was Additional District Secretary (AGA) for Vavuniya District before becoming District Secretary (GA) for the district in October. She was appointed District Secretary for Batticaloa District in May 2012.[4][5]

Charles was appointed Director General of Sri Lanka Customs in September 2017.[6][7] She was removed from the post in January 2019, allegedly after refusing to give in to government pressure in respect of investigations into 143 suspicious cargo containers.[8][9] She was re-instated swiftly following industrial action by customs workers.[10][11]

Charles was appointed secretary of the Ministry of Healthcare and Indigenous Medical Services in November 2019.[12][13] She was sworn in as Governor of the Northern Province on 30 December 2019.[14][15] In October 2021, Jeevan Thiagarajah replaced her as the new governor of Northern Province.[16] She was reappointed in May 2023 as governor of Northern Province, replacing Thiagarajah.[17]

References
  1. Daniel, Shannine (4 February 2018). "An Interview With Sarojini Charles, The DG Of Sri Lanka Customs". Roar Media. Colombo, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  2. "Batticaloa DS appointed Customs DG". The Daily Mirror. Colombo, Sri Lanka. 26 September 2017. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  3. "Charles new DG Customs". The Island. Colombo, Sri Lanka. 27 September 2017. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  4. "Govt. reshuffles GAs". The Island. Colombo, Sri Lanka. 11 May 2012. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  5. "Jaffna GA transferred to Presidential Secretariat - report". Colombo Page. Indianapolis, U.S.A. 10 May 2012. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  6. "Batticaloa Government Agent P.S.M. Charles appointed Customs Director General". Daily News. Colombo, Sri Lanka. 26 September 2017. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  7. Karunaratna, Sanchith (26 September 2017). "Cabinet appoints new Director General of Customs". Ada Derana. Colombo, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  8. "Protests intensify over Customs head appointment". Daily FT. Colombo, Sri Lanka. 1 February 2019. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  9. "Charles' Removal Linked To Probe On 143 Containers: Mangala's Coordinating Secretary, Finance Min. Secretary Have Given Unlawful Orders: Sirisena Stirring Up Issues Behind The Scenes". Colombo Telegraph. 2 February 2019. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  10. Bandara, Kelum (5 February 2019). "P.S.M.Charles reinstated as Customs DG". The Daily Mirror. Colombo, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  11. "P.S.M. Charles reinstated as Custom's Director General". News First. Colombo, Sri Lanka. 5 February 2019. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  12. "Twenty new Ministry Secretaries appointed". The Island. Colombo, Sri Lanka. 1 December 2019. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  13. "President appoints secretaries to 20 ministries". Colombo Page. Indianapolis, U.S.A. 27 November 2019. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  14. "P.S.M. Charles appointed NP Governor". The Daily Mirror. Colombo, Sri Lanka. 30 December 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  15. "Top civil servant Charles appointed Governor NP". The Island. Colombo, Sri Lanka. 31 December 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  16. "Jeevan Thiagarajah sworn in as Northern Province Governor - Latest News | Daily Mirror". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  17. "Three provinces get new governors". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
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