THE LYNCH LAW IN CEYLON

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 120, 7 February 1918, Page 5

THE LYNCH LAW IN CEYLON

.. 9 ECHO OF AN AMAZING EPISODE THE GOVERNOR'S REPORT It will be remembered (says the "Manchester Guardian") that in the spring of 1916 religious riots broke out in Ceylon, and that allegations as to the ruthless way in which, days after the disturbances were over, Sinlialcso were shot and flogged without trial of "any sort, led to the appointment by the Governor (General Sir; John Anderson) of a local commission of inquiry : consisting of Sir Alexander Wood Reih ! ton (Chief Justioe) and Mr. G. S. Schneider (advocate). The commission reported- on January-18 of last year that "in each of the'cases that bavb been under investigation the act of Shooting cannot be justified on the ground of the existence of martial law— in short, it had no legal justification." In his dispatch to Mr. Walter Long (Colonial Secretary), Hated May 26 last, Sir John Anderson ' makes some'outspoken comments on the state of affairs revealed by the commission's report. He says: . The primary responsibility for these deplorable incidents rests on Mr. F,N. Siidlow, a member of the Colombo Town Guard Artillery, who was selected by tho military authorities to command a small body of military to patrol part of tho area an which disturbances had taken place, and where there was reason to fear that further trouble might occur. He received from the inspectorgeneral of police instructions to a deal vigorously with actual disturbances, and seems to have construed them into a commission to' •administer" lynch law' throughout the area prescribed for his patrol, and to have considered tint, their effect wss to make him the leader of a posse of 1 vigilants ..sent out to deal -with desperadoes in the manner depicted in kinema shows and dime novels of the 'Wild West-.'-" _ After communicating' what' 'lie conceived to be his orders to Major Bayly, who was in command of the whole district, and being assigned his sphoro of operations, Mr. Sudlow began the campaign of illegality by the shooting, at Anipe, on June 8 of Romania Perera, who was accused'of leading the rioters there onv June 6, and of being in possession of a gun-barrel. On tho following day lie was responsible for the execution of Juwanis Fonseka, alias Fernando, and Aruolis, at Bulatkehupitiya; fol-. lowing this up by executing, at Aigoda, Telems Appu, l'ddi Sinno, and James Baas. ' '?.

Major Bayly not only accepted Mr. Sudtow's vsrsion of his instructions, but immediately proceeded to ace upon them himself in the case of Juwan Appu. whom he had publicly shot on Juno 9, at Yatiyantota, arid communicated them to his patrol officers, Mr. Baines and Mr: Sly, for their guidance "Tho most difficult case of nil is tha execution of tho Uduwii Arachchi by Mr. Sly an Juno 15. In all the other cases there was evidence before the lynching party .that the porsoup shot liad been actively ongngcd in preceding riots; but in this caie, though it was suggested to some of the witnesses bv counsel for Mr. Sly that thcArchchi had himself been engaged in the rioting at Dedugala, no evidence vo that effect was forthcourng, and that was no part of tho chargo upon which he was shot. As a matter of fact, the' cvidenco of the Kachchcri Muhandiram of Kogalla. and the cvidenco taken at the trial of Pnnchirtala Arachchi before the magistrate, Mr. Bonne, showed that the .rioting and looting at Dedugala had been rather a farce, tind that tho Moors had actually deposited most of their goods for .safe custody with the villagers, from whom they were afterwards recovered. Mr. Sly'found those goods in the possession of tho villagers, and at once concluded their guilt." With regard to Mr. Sly .the Governor adds:—"lt is almost incredible that anyone, unless one who had been schooled by the Remans in Belgium, could have honestly acted on Mr. Sly s interpretation of the. instructions. T propose that his apuointment as justice, of the peace and unofficial police magistrate should he cancelled, and I can scarcely consider it desirable that such a man should remain in charge of a larcje labour force in the island. But the'power entrusted to me under the Order-in-Comieil.. r.<> . deport is sea reel v applicable'to such a case, and I fear'that, much a> his conduct deserves the. loathing and disgust of every decent Englishman, I ea:'_ do rothv.": to sive tangible expression of that feeling."