21
19
།།། ག །
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
CO. 882/10
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-
COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH -NOT TO
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
to stay in the Vihara. Failing to disperse these people, I ridiculed their weapons, and induced them to throw away their clubs with which they were armed. Mean- while another gang of about sixty men from a neighbouring village appeared on the scene; they promised to go home when the Korala spoke to them, but they only went to the back of the temple, crying "sadu," and waited for me to go. This crowd was led by the village Aracci. One of the ringleaders called out to me,
"We have only come to guard our temple; we are not here to riot." All this time, from the time when we first arrived, hu-cries were to be heard all round the hills, calling the people to assemble.
Having established such order as I could with the special constable Brooks- bank, I went back again to the rest house just as my three Nuwara Eliya police arrived on foot from Padiyapelella. The police then tried to disperse the crowd. I ordered them not to use force, as we were not, in my opinion, strong enough to be successful, and there was no real danger of serious rioting, as all the Moorish boutiques had been sacked two days before and the Moors had either taken refuge with Mr. Williams or were still hidden in the surrounding jungle.
While I was in the rest house another gang of villagers came down the road from the direction of Rikiligaskeda. We stopped them on the road, and told them to go home. They all turned and went back peacefully enough; they may or may not have gone home, as I heard afterwards that a solitary Moorish boutique at Rahatungoda was sacked that night.
Besides the crowd at Hanguranketa, I was informed that there were some 200 people at Mahaoya prepared to defend the bridge. I sent an Aracci there with orders to disperse them if possible. I heard next morning that they did not go home till 3 a.m., and then went home but did no damage
2nd June. Next morning I saw the Hanguranketa Moormen in charge of Mr. Williams, who undertook to protect them in the estate buildings, and visited the ruined Moorish Kades. Then, leaving the police behind, we rode to Padiyapelella. On the way I commandeered a motor lorry coming up from Kandy to Maha Uva estate. From Padiyapelella I sent a wire to the Assistant Government Agent to the effect that I could keep reasonable order with the men at my disposal, but required more men to guarantee to disperse any crowd that might assemble. The Assistant Government Agent wired back that he was sending three police and four special constables. I ascertained that Padiyapelella was not likely to be disturbed that night, and went off in the motor lorry to Hanguranketa with the Ratamahat- maya and special police constables Brooksbank, Allen, Gould, and Shaw, J.P. and Unofficial Police Magistrate, after instructing the Maturata police sergeant to tele- phone to the estates above him for more European help if he required it. We reached Hanguranketa at 5.30 p.m. and sent the lorry back to the four special constables who were down from Nuwara Eliya. The lorry arrived with them about 9 pm.
Meanwhile, Messrs. Tancock and Marshall had arrived at the rest house. and, with ten armed men and four special constables, I felt able to resort to force if necessary. However, no crowds assembled at Hangurankets, nor
were any people seen on the roads until midnight, and there was no shouting from village to village as on the previous night.
3rd June. Next morning I took all the men back to Padiyapelella, leaving the Ratainahatmaya at Hanguranketa with the three police, with orders to send the police on to reinforce those at Maturata as soon as he considered that they could be spared and instructing him to spare no efforts to arrest the ringleader of the gang who looted Padiyapelella, one Wickramsingha Mohottala.
At Padiyapelella all was quiet, but the Maturata sergeant had heard a rumour of a projected attack on the Moors the previous night and had obtained, through the telephons, the assistance of Mr. T. H. Williams, J.P., and three other planters, who had patrolled the town till 3 a.m. The town Aracci also informed me that some fifty Sinhalese had come towards Padiyapelella, intending to attack the Moors on the road to Maturata, but had gone home again without doing anything when they heard that there were Europeans in the place.
I then went to Maturata Police Station, where I tried a man caught by the police that morning with loot in his possession. Owing to the absence on duty of one of the two constables who caught him, I had to remand the man. A boy, charged with a similar offence, was summarily dealt with and caned on the spot. We then marched nine prių ners concerned in the recent rioting up the hill to High
Forest, where we obtained cars, and took them to Nuwara Eliya under the escort of special constables, as I could not remove any of the regular police from Maturata. Since that day there have been no further disturbances in Udabewaheta. The ringleader, Mohottala, was arrested on 4th June, and the police have since ascertained the names of some thirty persons who took part in the disturbances.
I am, &c.,
T. A. HODSON,
324654/8
Enclosure 4 in No. 14.
District Judge.
[Published as Enclosure in No. 5 in [Cd. 8187], January, 1918.]
No. 15.
THE GOVERNOR to THE SECRETARY OF STATE.
(Received 14th July, 1915.)
[Copy to India Office, 22nd July, 1915. Secret. L.F.]
[Extracts from despatch, with enclosure 2, published as No. 6 in [Cd. 8167], January, 1916.] (Confidential.)
SIR.
The Queen's House, Colombo, Ceylon, 24th June, 1915. In accordance with the promise at the end of my Confidential despatch of the 18th June,* I have now the honour to enclose, for your information, a printed copy of my Proclamationt of the 17th idem subjecting Uva and the North-Central Province to martial law as from the latter date.
Thus all the seven Sinhalese Provinces are now so treated; but nothing has occurred to suggest the like treatment for the two Tamil Provinces in the north and north-east, which have remained unaffected.
2. I also enclose, in continuation of enclosure 8 to paragraph 2 of my Confi- dential despatch of 15th June,‡ a further communication from the Officer Com- manding the Troops, dated 21st June, reporting on the military outlook at that date. The position remains the same to-day.
3. Reference is made in the Officer Commanding the Troops' communication to the risk of a renewed outbreak on the 22nd June, when the Sinhalese workmen at the railway factory were to be paid, and fears were entertained that such an out- break, if it occurred in the factory, might forthwith spread throughout the whole railway system. I am glad to be able to inform you that the military and other precautions adopted in advance proved efficacious, that no trouble has so far been reported. I contemplate further steps hereafter for dealing with these factory
hands.
4. By separate despatch§ by this mail I am forwarding to you copies of local reports on the anti-Mohammedan riots, and propose to send further such reports as received. if they are of sufficient interest. As, however, as I pointed out in para graph 4 of my despatch of the 15th June, a complete review of the position in full detail is not possible until the local investigations in each village have been com- pleted by Special Commissioners.
5. The Special Commissioners (appointed by the Officer Commanding the Troops under martial law) continue to pursue their inquiries without ceasing, and courts martial began to sit in villages last week to try reserved cases either originat- ing from, or proceeding through, Special Commissioners. It was in connexion with the important questions of principle in procedure which spring from the findings of these courts martial that, in communication with the Officer Commanding the Troops. I telegraphed to you at some length on the 19th June for our joint and several guidance on the several points as formulated by the Attorney-General.
6. With reference to paragraph 7 of my despatch of 18th June,* I was grati- fied to learn, from your telegram of 18th June, that you were (1) pressing the Army
No. 8. * 27949, not printed.
* No. 18. + Not printed. ↑ No. 11. $ No. 14.