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the recent disturbances might be expeditiously dealt with, I have the honour to report that, save for one case which will be tried on Friday next, the trials of riot cases have now come to an end.
About 250 offenders have been convicted and sentenced to varying terms of imprisonment, and the number of absconders who have not yet been arrested is small.
2. For the expeditious manner in which these cases have been dealt with Mr. W. A. Weerekoon, Police Magistrate, is chiefly responsible. He did not spare himself, working late even on Saturdays and Sundays in order to avoid delay in the trial of
these cases.
Mr. J. E. de Zoysa, whom I sent to Minuwangoda to deal with the cases there, also deserves thanks for the good work done by him.
3. It was very important that the trial of these riot cases should not have been delayed, because, as was brought to my notice very early in the day, the village headmen, or at least very many of them, took advantage of the disturbances to levy blackmail from the villagers of their divisions, threatening to include in supple- mentary lists of rioters the names of those who did not make it worth while for the headmen to omit their names.
In fact, some headmen who originally sent in crime reports, stating that the culprits were unknown, began later to send in long lists of accused.
Recognizing the danger of permitting headmen to do this I ordered the Inspector of Police not to accept any supplementary lists from headmen, but to charge only those identified by the Moorish victims themselves, and those named in the original reports. The early conclusion of these trials was therefore of the utmost importance.
The Honourable
The Colonial Secretary, Colombo.
Enclosure 4 in No. 34.
EXTRACT REFERRED TO.
I am, &c.,
H. E. BEVEN,
District Judge.
THE movement in Kegalle was not of exactly the same nature as that in the Western Province. In certain places where low-country influence was strong very great damage has been done, but on the whole the average Kandyan villager has had no idea whatsoever of a preconcerted plan. Where buildings have been burnt it has been due to the action of a more or less small band of rioters, and the average villager probably took no part in it.
It has been possible in this district from the outset to fix the responsibility for local disturbances on certain individuals with a considerable amount of certainty. The ringleaders have been almost invariably members of a local temperance or political society. These persons are those who have engineered the collection of a body of men which formed the nucleus of the crowds of rioters; these small bodies were those responsible for the breaking open or burning of boutiques. The crowds of villagers were collected together by means of agents who spread the cry that the Moors were coming to attack the Sinhalese. When looting commenced the villagers did not fail to participate in the spoils.
There is therefore a clear distinction, which prevails practically throughout the whole district, between the actual persons who led the movement and the villagers who may have participated in the looting. There is a world of difference between the two classes. Where there were no societies with low-country influence there were no ringleaders and no outbreaks. In dealing with the question, therefore, it has been abundantly clear that, although the ringleaders deserve any punishment which can be meted out to them, the ordinary villager should not be treated too harshly, and should not be made responsible for loss which he had not anticipated or premeditated, unless it cannot be made good in any other way.
6th July, 1915.
H. D. BURDEN,
Assistant Government Agent, Kegalle.
SIR,
(Confidential.)
59
Enclosure 5 in No. 34.
Pussella, on circuit, 7th July, 1915. WITH reference to your confidential letter, dated 28th June, 1915, enclosing a memorandum by the Honourable Mr. J. G. Fraser, C.M.G., I have the honour to report as follows:-
1. On the arrival of the Special Commissioner, Mr. de Glanville, who took charge of the Nawdun, Meda, and Atakalan Korales, I proceeded to inspect the damaged boutiques, houses, etc., in the Kuruwiti and Kukul Korales.
2. Between the 16th and 19th June I visited all the villages where looting had taken place, and made a rough calculation of the damage.
3. On the 20th June I had a conference with Mr. de Glanville, and, it having been ascertained that the riots took place only in certain clearly defined areas, we decided for the present not to levy contributions from the wasamas where no distur- bances occurred.
4. The question, however, of recovering from other important wasamas, such as the Ratnapura Town, Rakwana, and Balangoda a sum to cover a proportionate share of the expenses of quelling the disturbances and the quartering of the troops and Volunteers, in the absence of whom there is no doubt riots would have occurred in these towns, is being considered.
5. The most extensive damage in the Ratnapura District was caused in the Kuruwita Korale, which adjoins the Avissawella District, and is easily accessible by train and river to important villages in the Hewagam, Raiyagam, and Siyane Korales of the Western Province.
6.
In Kuruwiti Korale, out of thirty wasamas, rioting and looting took place in twenty wasamas. I also took charge of two wasamas of the Kegalle District, which adjoins Kendangomuwa, and could be more conveniently dealt with by me than by the Special Commissioners of the Kegalle District.
7. In the Kukul Korale, which has twelve wasamas, rioting took place only in
three wasamas, and the damage done was not very extensive.
8. After making a rough calculation of the approximate damage I decided to levy a contribution which works out approximately at between Rs. 15 and Rs. 17 per head of the male population over eighteen years of age, and for this purpose revisited all the wasamas between the 21st and 30th June. Every wasama has elected to pay the indemnity.
9. The total indemnity fixed amounts to Rs. 108,950. The system adopted by me was to encourage the people to pay in immediate cash. In all cases they have paid, or promised to pay, half the amount, and, being satisfied that the people of some wasamas were unable at once to pay the whole of the compensation, I am taking security for the payment of the balance within periods varying from three to eight months. In Nawdum, Meda, and Atakalan Korales, where the people do not look to gemming as a source of income, and have a large number of estates where they can find work, no difficulty has been experienced in collecting the contributions, but in Kuruwiti Korale, owing to the cessation of gemming, the small number of estates, and the general poverty of the people, money is scarce, and the payment of the balance by monthly instalments has been allowed.
10. The total amount collected up to date is Rs. 17,512.52. I expect to recover about Rs. 28,000 before the 12th July.
11. A further report on the progress of the collection and the question of security will be sent at a later date.
The Honourable
The Colonial Secretary.
Enclosure 6 in No. 34.
I am, &c..
R. N. THAINE,
Government Agent.
REPORT ON RECENT RIOTS IN YATINUWARA, HARRISPATTUWA, TUMPANE,.AND UDA NUWARA,
I AM acting as Special Commissioner in Yatinuwara, Harrispattuwa, Tum- pane, Uda Nuwara. The origin of the disturbance in these districts I trace to the following sources :----
1. Religions. I am of opinion among the large mass of the people religion was the main dominating and inspiring force. This was the spark which caused
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