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(Enclosure of Colonial Secretary's Special Circular of 14th August, 1915.) MEMORANDUM ON THE USE OF FIREARMS FOR THE PROTECTION OF PERSON OR PROPERTY AGAINST MOBS, WHEN MARTIAL LAW IS NOT IN FORCE.
1.
In districts where Martial Law is in force the employment of firing is regu- lated by the orders of the military authorities.
2. In districts where Martial Law is not in force, no firing is allowed--
(a) Unless directed by a Police Magistrate, the Inspector-General of Police, a Government Agent, or, until any of these can be communicated with, by a Commissioned Army Officer.
(b) If there is no time to have recourse to the public authorities, and it is not otherwise practicable to protect persons or property assailed, firing to the extent that is actually necessary is allowed (by the Penal Code, sections 89-99) on a mob engaged in-
(i) Violence to the person, likely to cause death or grievous hurt; (ii) Outrages on women;
(iii) Robbery (theft with violence);
(iv) Housebreaking by night;
(v) Arson of a dwelling or building used as a place for the custody of
property:
է
(vi) Theft, mischief, or house trespass which threatens death or
grievous hurt.
3. During the present war, Ceylon is under Military Law. The right and duties of civilians for the purpose of suppressing disorder are therefore, so long as the war lasts, not confined to the above cases, but are also governed by the law of England. Under the law of England every person is bound to do all that is reason- ably necessary to suppress public disorder. Any person therefore who does any-
thing that he bona fide believes to be necessary for this purpose is protected against prosecution by section 69 of the Ceylon Penal Code.
4. Even Martial Law does not entitle persons not acting under military orders to overstep the above limits, and they are liable to be prosecuted for doing so.
42201
SIR,
No. 48.
THE GOVERNOR to THE SECRETARY OF STATE. (Received 13th September, 1915.)
(Confidential.)
The Queen's House, Colombo, Ceylon, 20th August, 1915. I HAVE the honour to enclose, for your information, the following two local reports on the Ceylon riots, which were received too late for enclosure with my despatch Confidential (C), of the 16th August,* viz. :—
(1) From Mr. M. Stevenson, Ceylon Civil Service, dated 15th August,
1915.
(2) From Mr. N Izat, Ceylon Civil Service, dated 14th August, 1915. The first, you will observe, relates to an up-country district, while the latter deals with a low-country district in this Province.
(Confidential.)
I have, &c.,
ROBERT CHALMERS,
Governor, &c.
Enclosure 1 in No. 46.
Kandy, 15th August, 1915.
SIR,
I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your confidential letter No. 11535, of the 7th July last, on the subject of the recent disturbances, and requesting me to furnish a report as to their origin and scope in the Matale District.
2. As regards the origin of the disturbances I am of opinion that they were due to the racial and commercial rivalry which has for some considerable time existed
* No. 44.
121
between the Sinhalese and the Moors-a rivalry which has been fostered by wire- pullers from outside-and were not attributable to any direct political motive. It has not, however, been possible so far to trace the direct connexion between the Matale rioters and persons from outside. It seems clear that the dissemination of the news of the disturbances which occurred in Kandy on the 28th and 29th May, and the general excitement which prevailed, supplied the stimulus to the Buddhist Sinhalese of Matale and its immediate neighbourhood to commence, on the night of the 31st, a series of attacks on Moorish boutiques in the town and its vicinity. With the exception of three boutiques at Cabragalla, on an estate close to the boundary of the district, which were attacked by rioters from Wattegama, all the outbreaks occurred within a radius of five miles from Matale. The fact that the disturbances were confined to this limited area, and that they were easily suppressed by the prompt measures adopted by Mr. Rogerson, would appear to indicate that there was no effective local organization at the back of the rioters in Matale.
3. No Moors were murdered, nor were any rioters shot, either during or subsequent to the disturbances.
As regards Mr. Abdul Rahiman's general remarks on the outbreaks, I would point out that, so far as the Matale District is concerned, the damage done to property was comparativly slight in extent. There were no instances of personal indignities being offered to the Moors by rioters, and no cases of rape or mutilation
occurred.
5. While I have little doubt that the majority of the minor headmen were in sympathy with the movement, there is no evidence that they were present and participated in the riots. To this statement there is one exception, as the Arachchi of Warripola was in the crowd which looted at Matale. He was punished in the District Court with two years' imprisonment. There is no evidence that any of the three chief headmen was in any way implicated, and, indeed, Mr. Aluwihare, Ratemahatmaya of Matale South, took an active part in attempting to dissuade the
rioters.
6. Only one mosque in the Matale District, viz., that at Marukona, was attacked. It appears merely to have been stoned, and the damage done does not amount to more than Rs.50.
7. I thoroughly agree with Mr. Abdul Rahiman's suggestion that all mosques which have been destroyed should be repaired or rebuilt as early as possible.
8. I would desire to add that everywhere claims for compensation put forward
by the Moors have been exaggerated to an unconscionable extent, and that the claims are frequently for an amount four or five times as large as the damage actually sustained.
The Honourable
The Colonial Secretary.
I am, &c..
M. STEVENSON, Assistant Government Agent, Matale.
and Special Commissioner.
Enclosure 2 in No. 46.
Report on the Riots in Siyana Korale East, Western Province. THE rioting in this Korale started early in the morning of the 2nd June from several distinct centres, from which it spread generally through the whole Korale. In Pasyala, Walarambe, and Kapugoda isolated boutiques were looted on the evening of 1st June.
The infection seems to have spread chiefly from Veyangoda Railway Station, and on 1st June, about 2 p.m., large crowds from the surrounding villages gathered at the cross roads at Nambadaluwa, where there is a very large boutique which belongs to the Korale Mudaliyar. The Mudaliyar posted several headman to try and restrain the crowds, but the headmen were either unwilling or quite incapable of doing anything.
In any case this boutique was completely looted early in the morning of the 2nd June. Many of the headmen who were said to have tried to protect this boutique on the 1st June undoubtedly joined in the attack on the Moor village of Kahatowita on the 2nd.
Meanwhile, at the Attangala Junction, about five miles away, large crowds also began to collect on the 1st June. In this case all the surrounding villages belong to a large Samagama, which had previously made preparations for the outbreak. At a meeting on the 1st April orders were given to collect all the books where the
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