83
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
6
Reference :-
C.O. 882/10
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
Map.
•
Summary of damage.
The Moor-
>
148
The annexed map shows the places at which burning and looting occurred. The figures in red ink indicate the number of houses and boutiques looted and burnt, and the figures in black show the number of houses and boutiques looted. The letter "M indicates that a mosque has been damaged.
It will be seen that for the whole district fourteen mosques have been damaged, eighty-two houses and boutiques burnt, and 384 houses and boutiques looted.
The amount of damage done in the whole district appears to be about men's claims. Rs. 355,000. The claims put in by the Moormen are totally unreliable, and are, prac- tically without exception, false. I have devoted a great deal of attention to this matter, and am still holding detailed inquiries into the claims put forward by the owners of the larger boutiques. As a criterion to what boutiques of various sizes might contain I made an inventory of boutiques and houses of various sizes at Mawanella which escaped all damage. These figures form a sure guide when dealing with claims made by owners of looted boutiques.
Panahont of oblef offenders.
cases.
In this district, had the Moors presented honest claims and shown some sort of decency in making them, I should by this time have been able to pay them all in cash, with the exception of those in Rambukkana, where the amount of damage is so large As it is I shall that the villagers in the neighbourhood could not possibly pay it in. have to go into all claims carefully before they can be paid. I have, however, made arrangements to pay for all damaged buildings where the loss is apparent, and also for all mosques.
It has been found possible to fix upon the actual ringleaders in most areas of the district. It has not been possible to charge all of them before court martial, as three are still at large, and the cases against several others are not yet complete. In Court martial all ten cases, in which thirty persons were charged, have been prepared. At Kegalle eight cases prepared by me, in which twenty-two persons were charged, have been disposed of, and nineteen accused were convicted. The other two cases were pre- pared by Mr. Forrest: one was tried at Kandy, in which two persons were con- victed and two acquitted; the other was tried at Veyangoda, and the result is not known as yet. In all the eight cases prepared by me, trustworthy Sinhalese evidence ink evidence. Was obtained. I only used Moorish witnesses when their evidence was supported by Sinhalese witnesses. As a general rule the Moorish evidence was as unreliable as regards persons accused as it was as regards the amount of damages sustained.
Kegalle District, or rather the four Korales where Kegalle Town is situated, is not very well conditioned to meet such disturbances as those which have recently occurred. The district is not a policed district, and the planters in four Korales are few in number and very scattered. Such help as was accorded to me in the shape of police or military during the period when the riots were going on was stationed at Polgahawela, not even in my district, and was not subject to my control.
Use of Moor.
During the days of the riots, when disturbances were reported from many directions, I received the greatest assistance from Mr. Boone, District Judge. I was of necessity compelled to stay in Kegalle, as, apart from the necessity of seeing to the safeguarding the town, jail, and treasury, there were many matters to be attended to, and the only possible place from which operations could be properly controlled was Kegalle. Mr. Boone was occupied continually in many journeys which the I am glad necessity for my presence in Kegalle rendered it impossible for me to do. to report that during the whole of the time the chief headmen worked whole- The same, however, cannot be said of all heartedly in suppressing disturbances.
the Koralas and minor headmen, though some of these, too, did excellent work. I wish at the same time to express my appreciation of the services of the Kachcheri Mudaliyar, who, both during the period of actual rioting and afterwards, has In conclud- worked untiringly, and has proved himself to be of the greatest use. ing, I would refer to the very large amount of work which Major Bayly has done at Ruwanwella in connexion with the work arising out of the riots. In the matters of the assessment of damages, the receipt of money, the collection of evidence, and many Without this others matters Major Bayly has been of the greatest assistance. assistance it would have been impossible for Meedeniya Dissawa to deal with the three Korales and Pata Bulatgama.
Kegalie. 19th August, 1915.
H. A. BURDEN, Assistant Government Agent.
149
Summary.
To sum up, the origin of the disturbances in this district can be traced to the agency of persons, generally low-country men, who have obtained a considerable amount of influence in the villages through the working of temperance or social
societies.
The disturbances do not appear to be the result of a clearly defined preconcerted plan. They appear to have been of a contagious nature, and spread by the force of mimicry, and the outbreaks occurred more readily and with more force in those areas where temperance or social societies were established. It is quite certain that the influence of the societies, coupled with that of the vernacular Press, had caused a weakening of regard for lawful authority and a corresponding growth of the idea of self-importance of the society leaders. Without these leaders the villagers would never have moved, and there would have been no disturbances.
As regards the scope of the disturbances, although there was much burning and looting, emphasis should be laid on the fact that there were no murders or other personal assaults on Moors in this district. The annexed map shows the spatial distribution of the disturbances.
Statement of Houses burnt and looted and the Mosques damaged.
1. Rambukkana and neighbourhood
2. Ganetenna and neighbourhood
3. Aranayake and neighbourhood
4. Karandupone, etc., and neighbourhood
5. Kegalle and neighbourhood
6. Imbulgasdeniya, etc., and neighbourhood...
7. Galigomuwa, etc., and neighbourhood
8. Warakapola and neighbourhood
9. Dedigama and neighbourhood
11. Nangala and neighbourhood
10. Ambepussa and neighbourhood
12. Dummaladeniya and neighbourhood
13. Galapitamada and neighbourhood
14. Pindeniya and Kotikakumbure and neigh-
bourhood
15. Bulathkohupitiya and neighbourhood
16. Dedugala, etc., and neighbourhood
17. Ruwanwella and neighbourhood
18. Dehiowita and neighbourhood
20. Napawela, etc., and neighbourhood
21. Yatiyantota and neighbourhood
19. Talduwa and neighbourhood
22. Deraniyagala and neighbourhood...
23. Wabaraka and neighbourhood 24. Panawala and neighbourhood
(Confidential.)
Total
Enclosure 2 in No. 51.
Mosques.
Burnt. Looted.
27
13
10
13
1
1
4
10
2
1
1
48
4
—
20
33
32
1
TOPORT2*** ***-827---
35
25
1
2
30
1
16
29
1
12
47
7.
1 4
82
364
14
REPORT re RECENT DISTURBANCES IN COLOMBO.
SIR,
WITH reference to your letter No. 11535, of the 7th July, 1915, I have the honour to forward my report with regard to the origin and scope of the recent dis- turbances in Colombo.
The Municipal Office, Colombo, 27th August, 1915.
The Honourable
The Colonial Secretary,
Colombo.
I am, &c.,
R. W. BYRDE, Special Commissioner.
Not forwarded to the Colonial Office.
150