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PUBLIC
RECORD OFFICE
9
C.O.
Reference :--
882
01
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH--NOT TO
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represented by Abram Saibo's manager, and the Buddhists by a mason and a con- tractor. They proposed to have fifteen peraheras here a year and to take tom-toms I past the mosque only at hours when the Mohammedans are not at prayer. explained that I refused to be bound by their agreements and that peraheras would only be held on permission obtained first from me, and that they could claim no ancient rights under the Kandyan Convention in Nuwara Eliya, which was of more recent growth and essentially a European settlement. However, I noticed a willing- The representatives of ness to compromise on both sides and a desire for peace. both sides promised to assist to preserve order.
Received a wire from Punduloya stating attempts had been made to dynamite
the mosque.
Received report from Mr. Tancock, J.P. and Unofficial Police Magistrate, that the Mohammedan butcher's shop had been looted and property burnt.
Also received reports from Punduloya of a perahera collecting at Medakum- bura and urgently demanding reinforcements. Despatched the A.S.P. with two riflemen, and one Ceylon Light Infantry.
Late in the night received a report of the burning of the mosque and a number of boutiques in Talawakelle.
4th June.--Received information that martial law had been proclaimed in the Province. Early morning went round the town and took stock of all petrol and carbide in the town stores and commandeered them.
Wired to all police stations, chief headmen, and J.P. and Unofficial Police Magistrates that the district was under martial law, with instructions to proclaim the fact by beat of tom-tom.
hera.
Received wire from Hapugastalawa Mohammedan Arachchi that the Sin- halese intended taking a perahera through their village. Wired to Mr. Richardson, JP. and Unofficial Police Magistrate, to enrol special constables and prevent pera- Also wired to Mr. Stevenson, stationed at Nawalapitiya, to render assistance. Hearing that a perahera was collecting at Meda-Kumbura to go to Punduloya in spite of my orders, and in response to urgent wires for assistance from Mr. J. B. Adkins, at Punduloya, I motored there, accompanied by Riflemen Gilliat and Burton, Ceylon Planters' Rifle Corps, and a non-commissioned officer of the Royal Garrison Artillery. At Ramboda I saw Mr. Wilson Blackett, who has the situation well in hand there. He has a force of nine Ceylon Light Infantry, about half-a-dozen Ceylon Planters' Rifle Corps, one Royal Garrison Artillery, and several special constables.
At Sangilipalama, Otalawa, Niyangandera, and Kumbaloluwa I saw evidence of the recent riots in the form of several dismantled houses. Also at the last-named place I noticed the mosque was in ruins. At Punloya I was met by Mr. Adkins's posse of about twelve planters, armed to the teeth with guns and revolvers, and heard that the report about the Medakumbura perahera had been exaggerated. Further up the road opposite Kaipugala I met Mr. J. B. Adkins himself and the A.S.P. They had just agreed with the Buddhist priest of the local Vihare to allow a small crowd to remove an image of Buddha in some state from the road to the Vihare Four miles from Talawakelle we could see smoke issuing from the ruins of the bazaar.
Reaching Talawakelle Rest House we found the town guarded by Ceylon Planters' Rifle Corps. It appears there had been no Ceylon Planters' Rifle Corps or other volunteers actually in Talawakelle when the fire occurred, but Mr. Cooper, J.P. and Unofficial Police Magistrate, and a number of volunteers arrived there All the very quickly and prevented looting and eventually put out the fire. boutiques from Wickramasuriya's gala (on the opposite side of the road) up to the Rest House had been gutted, including a large mosque.
Returned to Nuwara Eliya at 7 p.m., stopping at Nanuoya to close the bazaar
in accordance with the General Officer Commanding's orders.
Went on patrol duty at once.
5th June. All quiet in Nuwara Eliya and district. Nuwara Eliya town was patrolled by Royal Garrison Artillery, Ceylon Planters' Rifle Corps, Ceylon Light Infantry and special constables in motors and on foot day and night.
6th June, Sunday. The electric light was tampered with during the night. 7th June. Recommended temporary appointment of Messrs. Popham, Neill Campbell and Temple as Justices of the Peace and Unofficial Police Magistrates. Electric light tampered with in that section of the town in which are situated the Kachcheri and Police Station
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8th June-Wired to Chairmen, Planters' Associations, inquiring whether they anticipated any shortage in rice. From replies received so far I gather that if the railway forwards supplies regularly on orders already booked by estates there would be no shortage. They, however, anticipate a shortage in curry stuffs.
9th June-Wired to the Ratamahatmayas as follows:-" Prepare complete list of all persons who associated themselves in looting and damaging Mohammedan and other property. The people should be allotted to villages. Am coming on cir cuit as Commissioner immediately to assess and recover from these villages compen- sation for damage done." Issued instructions that no printing whatever was to he done in the vernacular without the proofs of same being passed by me. no vernacular newspapers published in this district. tampered with.
SIR,
(No. 843.)
There are Electric light is again
A. W. SEYMOUR,
Assistant Government Agent.
Enclosure 3 in No. 14.
Disturbances AT PADIYAPElella and Hanguranketa.
I
District Court, Nuwara Eliya, 18th June, 1915. On receiving information on the morning of 1st June that riots had occurred in Udshewaheta, and that Moorish boutiques in Hanguranketa and Padiyapelella had been looted, I motored to High Forest Estate soon after noon with armed police, and obtained the assistance of three Maturata planters, whom I swore in as special constables. We reached Maturata at 4.30 p.m., and thence walked down to Padiya- pelella, where I found that the shop of Isakhan Bhai, the largest trader and the only prominent Moorman in the place, had been sacked on the previous night. learnt that a gang of rioters had arrived at Padiyapelella from the direction of Hanguranketa the previous night, removed many of the contents of the Bhai's boutique, broken all crockery and,glassware, and heaped the remainder on the road in front of the boutique, and set fire to it. headmen, followed the rioters from Hanguranketa on getting wind of what they The Ratamahatmaya had, with other intended to do, and had caught five men as they were returning home with loot. The five men I left at the Maturata Police Station for the time being, and, leaving special constables Gould and Allen to assist the Ratamahatmaya and police to pre- serve order at Padiyapelella and to protect a' number of Moorish boutiques at Maturata and on the road from Padiyapelella to Maturata, I rode on with special constable Brooksbank to Hanguranketa. Dehipe: the Ratamahatmaya had already closed the arrack tavern at Padiyanelella. On my way I closed the toddv tavern at We turned back a few isolated men who were moving towards Padiyapelella with lanterns and could give no proper account of their movements. Hanguranketa after dark we met four Sinhalese young men, who bolted from 118; Two miles from one was caught by special constable Brookshank: after frightening him thoroughly we sent him back by the way he had come. These men were clearly out for mischief,
but, of course, we had no proof. We rode on the village green, in front of the Vihara two or three fairly large gangs of half-armed villagers and many smaller knots of men with three or four honfires lighting up the scene. 300. I found the Korala of Ovapalata on the spot. and Mr. Williams, who was The crowd numbered about then visiting Mr. de Sovsa's estate. I barangued the people and advised them to go home, and was assisted by Mr. Williams and the Korala. The people were per- fectly well disposed, but declined to go home, as they had been firmly convinced by their ringleaders that a mob of 900 armed Moormen was on its way to destroy the Vihara. - 7 have not been able to trace the actual source of this rumour. Mean- while Mr. Williams and the Korala went about amongst the people, putting out the fires and endeavouring to quiet them.
We then went to the rest house for some food and came back about an hour 'ater, when I found all the fires were put out and many of the men had dispersed There still remained seventy men in and near the Vihara I went into the norch of
the Vibara, and asked the priest there to use his influence to induce the crowd to go home, telling him that he knew as well as I did that the threatened Moorish invasion was a myth. He declined to send the people away, if they wished
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