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101-433: General Sir John Lionel Kotelawala CH KBE KStJ PC ( Sinhala : ශ්‍රිමත් ජෝන් ලයනල් කොතලාවල ; 4 April 1897 – 2 October 1980) was a Sri Lankan statesman, who served as the 3rd Prime Minister of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) from 1953 to 1956. Born to a wealthy landholding and mining family, Kotelawala had a difficult childhood with the suicide of his father and the financial difficulties that followed. He

202-916: A General of the Volunteer Force of the Army in recognition of his long service to the country, which was acknowledged by Kotelawala who was on his deathbed. The honor was planned to be awarded on 11 October at the ceremony establishing the proposed Defense Academy. He died on 2 October 1980 at the Colombo General Hospital. On 5 October, Kotelawala's coffin which was kept at Kandawala was moved to Parliament House to lay in state, before final rites at Independence Square with full military honours. He married Effie Manthri Dias Bandaranaike, daughter of F. H. Dias Bandaranaike and Maria Frances Dias Bandaranaike nee Senanayake, daughter of Mudaliyar Don Spater Senanayake and sister of Don Stephen Senanayake . Although

303-604: A Royal Commission ; at its conclusion he collapsed and died on the stage. A secret memorandum initiated and drafted by James Peiris to the Secretary of State for the Colonies , pleading for the repeal of martial law and describing atrocities claimed to have been committed by the colonial authorities was carried in the soles of the shoes braving mine and submarine-infested seas (as well as the Ceylon Police Force ) by E. W. Perera ,

404-559: A Royal Commission of Inquiry as requested for by the Ceylonese. Sir John Anderson who succeeded Chalmers as Governor appointed a Commission on October 26, 1916, to inquire into and report upon the circumstances connected with the shooting of L Romanis Perera, Telenis Appu, Podi Sinno, James Bass, Juvanis Fernando, W G Serahamy, Pugoda Peter, Uduwa Arachchi and Juwanis Appu. The Commissioners were Chief Justis Sir Alexander Wood Renton and G. S. Schnieder. The Commission found that, "In each of

505-574: A backbencher in its first term. He was re-elected unopposed in the 1936 state council election from Kurunegala and was elected as Minister of Communications and Works , the chair Communications and Works Committee in the Second Board of Ministers of Ceylon . As the Minister, he oversaw the initiation of several major public works projects in the island. Just before Ceylon received independence and dominion status in 1948, Colonel Kotelawala had contested

606-596: A field general court martial , which handed out summary judgments under martial law on arrested Sinhalese civilians and military personnel. The earliest such trail was of Captain Henry Pedris which started on 1 July 1915, within three days he was found guilty of treason executed swiftly on the 7 July. A writ of prohibition was filled in the Supreme Court of Ceylon to stay the execution, the Supreme Court bench headed by

707-619: A Ceylonese Governor-General when Lord Soulbury's tenure ended. This came to be when Sir Oliver Goonetilleke was appointed Governor-General in July 1954. Kotelawala himself was appointed to the Imperial Privy Council during the visit. As prime minister, Kotelawala led Sri Lanka into the United Nations and contributed to Sri Lanka's expanding foreign relations, particularly with other Asian countries. In 1955 he led his country's delegation to

808-577: A commission as a second lieutenant in the Ceylon Light Infantry on 15 September 1922. That year the regiment received colours from the Prince of Wales . He progressed with promotions to lieutenant on 27 October 1924, captain on 23 August 1929 and major on 1 October 1933. On 1 July 1939, he was appointed second in command of the Ceylon Light Infantry and served till 1 September 1940. He

909-527: A deed of gift with the President, transferring Kandawala at President's House, Colombo and a formal ceremony to establish the institution was scheduled for 11 October 1980. On 29 September 1980, he suffered a stroke at Kandawala and was taken to the cardiac unit of the Colombo General Hospital . On 1 October, President J. R. Jayewardene visited Kotelawala and conferred on him the honorary rank of

1010-617: A hardline stand against trade unions and left-wing parties. He formed the Ceylon Railway Engineer Corps and Post and Telegraph Signals to minimise the effects on transport and communication in the event of trade union action. He hosted Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh in Ceylon during their Royal Commonwealth Tour in April 1954, using the occasion to request the appointment of

1111-420: A lawyer from Kotte . The colonial administration established a Police Inquiry Commission to inquire into the riots in late 1915 made up five members with Chief Justis Sir Alexander Wood Renton as chairman and it contained one Sinhalese member Sir Solomon Obeyesekere . The findings were published in 1916. In September 1915, Brigadier Malcolm was transferred to the western front as a Brigade Commander in

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1212-563: A monk, Edmund Hewavitharana and Dr C. A. Hewavitharatne , the brothers of Anagarika Dharmapala , who was also interned in Calcutta, where he had been during the unrest. After the arrests, riot compensation was exacted under threat of force. The colonial authorities suspected the temperance movement led by educated middle class Ceylonese to be supporting the Germans in World War I that was raging at

1313-592: A pip and the Sri Lanka emblem. The Gorget patches of the General officer pattern , gold/silver oak leaf chain of two oak leave, four gold/silver stars on scarlet background with a gold/silver button; worn on Dress No 2A, 4, 5, 5A, 6, 6A, 6B, 7 and 8. The Gorget patches of the General Officers Large/Medium patterns , of gold braided (bullion wire) three oak leaves on scarlet background with a gold button, worn by

1414-465: A possible split in the party appeared. After mediation between Kotelawala and Senanayake by senior UNP members including Sir Oliver Goonetilleke , Kotelawala agreed to serve in Dudley Senanayake's cabinet, retaining his existing portfolio. Soon after Senanayake called for fresh elections and in the 1952 general elections , Kotelawala was re-elected and retained his ministry and the post of leader of

1515-695: A private conversation with the prime ministers of Pakistan, India, Burma, and China, he asked the Chinese premier Zhou Enlai if he wanted to bring Communism to Tibet. Zhou replied that it was impractical and undesirable and that the PRC had gone to Tibet because it was "an integral part of the Chinese state" and because it had historically been threatened by " imperialist intrigues" from the British Empire and Imperial Russia . His government had to deal with economic problems and ethnic tensions. Although his parliamentary term

1616-643: A young man, got into physical fights when he was insulted. He was fluent in Sinhala , English and French . After returning to Ceylon, he became a planter, running his family plantation estates and mines, which included the Kahatagaha Graphite Mine in Dodangaslanda . He served as a Justice of the Peace . In a time when serving in the volunteer forces was prestigious and a gentlemanly pursuit, Kotelawala gained

1717-656: Is held by a Chief of the Defence Staff (if the chief is appointed from the army and not from the navy or the air force) or is mostly awarded as a ceremonial rank to the Commander of the Army on his day of retirement. General is a higher rank than lieutenant general , but is lower than field marshal. General is the equivalent of Admiral in the Sri Lanka Navy and Air Chief Marshal in the Sri Lanka Air Force . When

1818-591: The 1947 general elections for the United National Party (UNP), founded by D. S. Senanayake , from the Dodangaslanda electorate and was elected to the newly formed House of Representatives , which was the elected lower house of parliament established under the Soulbury Constitution . Kotelawala was an important member of the UNP and was appointed by Senanayake as Minister of Transport and Works , retaining

1919-656: The Bandung conference in Indonesia where his performance earned him the epithet Bandung Booruwa (Bandung Donkey) in Sri Lanka, for his lack of knowledge of the presence of the US 7th Fleet in the South China Sea, and his inability to pronounce "Formosan". His uncontroversial first speech at the conference was written by journalists at the Lake House group, However, he had been influenced by

2020-752: The British Expeditionary Force where he served unit December 1915. The 28th Punjabis regiment was transferred to the Middle Eastern theatre by January 1916 where they was to take part in the Mesopotamian campaign , suffering a total of 1,423 casualties by the end of the war. Governor Chalmers was removed from the post in December 1915 and made Under-Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland Lord Wimborne . The British government did not appoint

2121-635: The Ceylon Army was formed the rank of general was the highest rank defined under the Army Act of 1949. Since the formation the British Army officer heading the army held the rank of brigadier and the first Ceylonese officer to command the army, Anton Muttukumaru was promoted to the rank of major general in 1958. In 1974, then commander of the army, Sepala Attygalle was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general and ever since then all serving commanders of

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2222-637: The Ceylon Defence Force functioned as a volunteer reserve . The late 19th Century, saw the Buddhist revivalism and Sinhala nationalist movements taking form within Ceylon. This saw the formation of Sinhala-Buddhists schools established by the Theosophical Society contesting the Christian missionary schools and the temperance movement that challenged the highly profitable liquor trade. Coinciding

2323-687: The Old Parliament Building, Colombo . Many schools, libraries and public buildings have been named in his honour. In 1993, the Sir John Kotelawala Museum was opened in Kandawala by the President. His Orders, Decorations, Medals and other memorabilia are on display at the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University . General (Sri Lanka) The rank of full general is not always given; this rank

2424-575: The Royal–Thomian . He had to leave owing to involvements in the riots in 1915 , embarking on a tour of Europe , with World War I raging. He remained in Europe for five years, spending most of that time in England and France, and attended Christ's College, Cambridge to study agriculture. Kotelawala was known as an aggressive and outspoken man who loved sports, horseback riding and cricket and, particularly as

2525-399: The Second Board of Ministers of Ceylon . Having served as the commanding officer of the Ceylon Light Infantry , he transferred to the reserve with the rank of colonel in 1942. With Ceylon gaining independence in 1948, he was elected to Parliament and became a member of the first Cabinet as Minister of Transport and Works . He was overlooked for the post of prime minister when his uncle,

2626-593: The 76 candidates fielded by the UNP only eight were elected to parliament, resulting in a humiliating defeat which made the UNP a minority in the opposition. Kotelawala retained his parliamentary seat having been reelected from the Dodangaslanda electorate, however, he did not attend parliament often since Dr N. M. Perera had become the Leader of the Opposition . He returned the party leadership to Dudley Senanayake and left

2727-544: The British Government, as well as by his US-aligned permanent secretary Gunasena de Soyza to make anti-Communist remarks. He made these remarks at a press conference but subsequently withdrew them. He confessed later in Parliament that he had only made these remarks because he was pressured by de Soyza. At the conference he stated his belief that fashionably Marxist anti-imperialist rhetoric ignored Communist atrocities. In

2828-709: The Ceylon Moors who had controlled trade in most parts of the island had been ousted by the Indian Moors. The 1911 Census indicates that Ceylon Moors numbered 232,927 and Indian Moors 33,527. Establishing themselves in rice importation, sale, and distribution, Indian Moors gained much wealth and established themselves across the country. The British colonial government enacted many legislations and administrative measures to codify laws and govern every aspect of life, which here through were govern by rituals and tradition that had been practiced from time immemorial . One such measure

2929-699: The Chief Justice Alexander Wood Renton denied it down citing that the Supreme Court lack jurisdiction over the military courts that were functioning under martial law at the time. Captain Pedris's death sentence was not referred to the Governor for ratification as it was required. An omission that was protested by the Governor, and later cases were dully forwarded. Further writs filled in the Supreme Court for W. A. de Silva and Edmund Hewavitarne were turned down citing Supreme Court's lack jurisdiction over

3030-668: The Commander-in-Chief of the Essential Services Labor Corp. He provided his home, Kandawala to function as the officers mess for the wartime RAF station at Rathmalana . He was promoted to honorary rank of colonel on 2 July 1942, the highest rank that a Ceylonese could achieve at the time in the Ceylon Defence Force. As early as 1915 Kotelawala had become involved with political leaders such as Don Stephen Senanayake and his brother F.R. Senanayake , who

3131-424: The Defence Staff. In 2007, two former commanders of the army were also promoted to the rank of general. In 2009, Sarath Fonseka became the first officer to hold the rank of general, while serving as commander of the army for a brief period. Jagath Jayasuriya was promoted to general while serving as the commander of the army in 2013. In 2015, the higher ceremonial rank of field marshal was created. General remains

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3232-749: The District Judge of Kandy Paul Pieris ; Sir Stewart Schneider with C. A. La Brooy, E. W. Perera , Charles Batuwantudawe and D. R. Wijewardena appeared for the plaintiff. After review evidence, the District Judge gave his judgement in favor of the Temple trustees citing that its rights were protected under the terms of the Kandyan Convention . On the insistence of the Government Agent, the Attorney General Anton Bertram , KC , referred

3333-651: The European planters in remote areas. Hundreds of Sinhalese peasants were shot down throughout the country. Persons who couldn't answer a challenge due to language differences of the Europeans and Punjabis were shot. In the villages, the Punjabis who were also Muslims came down hard on the Sinhalese villages that had reported incidents of rioting. In villages males slept in the verandas of their huts, villages who slept as such were shot on

3434-466: The Government Agent and IGP Dowbiggin. By this time several persons have been killed and wounded in the rioting, including a government clerk. 60 members of the Trinity College, Kandy cadet contingent were sworn in as special constables which included teachers and students. They were deployed to deter riots on Trincomalee Street. Soon Vaughan and IGP Dowbiggin came to Trincomalee Street by car, with

3535-653: The Government Agent ordered the carriages halted at Katugastota, faced with arrest these Moors returned to Colombo the following day. Herbert Dowbiggin , the Inspector General of Police (IGP) was dispatched to Kandy with a detachment of 50 soldiers from the 28th Punjabi Regiment which was stationed in Colombo and arrived in Kandy at 3 AM on 30 May. In the morning of 30 May several leading gentlemen of Kandy, Dunuwille Dissawa, Advocate Arthur Perera and Cudah Ratwatte met with Vaughan,

3636-455: The Kahatagaha graphite mine, which she received from her younger sister Ellen and brother-in-law, Fredrick Richard Senanayake . She was reputed for her social work and was later awarded a MBE in the 1939 Birthday Honours and a CBE in the 1951 Birthday Honours . Young Kotelawala attended Royal College, Colombo , representing the school in cricket, tennis, boxing and football. He played in

3737-466: The Maradana police station, but had to set them free after a large crowd surrounded the station and demanded their release. Once again the situation escalated due to the initial inaction of the police, it was contributed to by the large number of petty criminals and the unemployed due to the European war. Soon the crowds spread from Maradana to other parts of the city, specially Pettah were fights ensued with

3838-573: The Moors themselves and demanded compensation from the local Sinhalese, failure of payment to the Riot Fund resulted in arrest and subjected to courts-martial . Those who paid were pardoned. R. W. Byrde, Mayor of Colombo and Special Commissioner proposed a levy on Sinhalese in the wards of Colombo to pay in proportion to their wealth as compensation to the Moormen. The officers of the 28th Punjabis established

3939-429: The Troops, Brigadier Malcolm ordered the police and the military to shoot any one who they deemed a rioter without a trial. It was reported that Brigadier Malcolm had ordered his troops to "not to waste ammunition, but to shoot through the heart any Sinhalese that may be found on the streets," and IGP Dowbiggin had given instructions to their armed constables to "shoot down, without a challenge, certain people whose identity

4040-407: The Trustee of the Wallahagoda Dewale to conducted the Perahera without music within the markers on 27 August 1912 as required by the Police Ordinance, No. 16 of 1865 and the Local Boards Ordinance, No. 13 of 1898. Tikiri Banda Elikewela, the Basnayaka Nilame (Chief Trustee) of the Wallahagoda Dewale, consulted the other trustees of Buddhist Temples in the province on the order preventing them conducting

4141-403: The Wallahagoda Dewala traveling through Ambegamuwa Street en route to the Mahaweli River past their newly built mosque with music, even though older mosques along the same route belonging to Ceylon Moors did not object. G. S. Saxton, the Government Agent of the Central Province, as the head of the police in the province, ordered the police to erect markers 100 yards from the mosque and informed

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4242-539: The a practice carried-out from time immemorial, safeguarded by the terms of the Kandyan Convention . Due to this, the procession was not held that year. The Basnayaka Nilame when filed action through C. A. La Brooy in the District Court of Kandy on 30 September 1913 against the Attorney General for a declaration of rights granted under the treaty of the Kandyan Convention . The Attorney General responded through F. C. Liefching, with Thomas Garvin , Solicitor General assisted by V. M. Fernando . The trail came up before

4343-429: The account that martial law dictated that all sleep indoors. There was a belief in higher echelons of the administration that the riots were per-planned and seditious , some believed that there was a German link and the riots was the start of an upraising against British rule. In the early stages of the rioting prominent Sinhalese were arrested on accusations on inciting the riots while as others volunteered to disperse

4444-434: The army held the rank of lieutenant general, customarily promoted to the rank on appointment to the post of commander of the army. Sepala Attygalle became the first officer to be promoted to the rank of general on his retirement from the army on 13 October 1977. Former Prime Minister of Ceylon, Sir John Kotelawala was appointed to the honorary rank of general of the Volunteer Force in 1980. In 1986, Cyril Ranatunga became

4545-417: The army to suppress the Hartal and restore order. Badly shaken by the events of the Hartal, Senanayake, who was gravely ill, resigned as prime minister on 12 October 1953. Kotelawala succeeded Senanayake as prime minister, Minister of Defense, Minister of External Affairs, and as leader of the UNP. His government partially retained the rice subsidy which led to the 1953 Hartal. An ardent anti-communist, he took

4646-442: The cases that have been under investigation the act of shooting cannot be justified on the ground of existence of Martial Law; in short, it had no legal justification.’ But, they said, they were bona fide for the maintenance of good order and government and for the public safety of the Colony, and, that action was protected by the Ceylon Indemnity order in Council, 1915." After 1915 a number of Sinhalese leaders gradually emerged from

4747-674: The clashes and assaults spread through the Central, North Western, Western, Southern and Sabaragamuwa Provinces; and at one point, on 2 June, were reported to be occurring simultaneously at 116 locations. Large crowds were involved in the attacks on the Moors; mobs of over a thousand were reported at Matale , Wattegama , Kadugannawa , Gampola , Rambukkana, Panadura , Godapitiya and Akuressa. Areas where large populations of Moors saw fighting, with Moors attacking Sinhalese and elsewhere Sinhalese mobs attacked Moors. The uniformed police lost central control and coordination as its senior officers were on streets and its constables lacked numbers to disperse

4848-458: The condition that the Perahera procession does not enter Castle Hill Street until past midnight. He failed to deploy adequate police personal to the location. At 1 AM, 29 May 1915 when the lead group of the Perahera procession entered Castle Hill Street, they found the mosque lit up with Indian Moors and Afghans preventing their passage instructing them to move through a side street. At this point Police Inspector F. T. Cooray intervened and directed

4949-430: The considerable land and mine holdings of his grandfather Mudaliyar Attygalle, which his father managed following the death of his grandfather. After he was forced out of the management of the Attygalle estates by the family, Kotelawala Snr started his own business ventures including the Ceylon-Japan Trading Company. In 1907, he was arrested and found guilty of conspiring to murder his brother-in-law, Francis Attygalle. While

5050-405: The crowd, it soon began to depend on military and arbitrary shooting to disperse crowds. R. A. Mirando , a leading businessmen was shot by the police and his death on 2 June was recorded as accidental. British Governor of Ceylon at the time was Sir Robert Chalmers , a career civil servant and a Pali scholar, who had spent 31 years in the HM Treasury before his appointment to Ceylon. Chalmers

5151-819: The crowds peacefully. F. B. Walgampahe , Basnayaka Nilame (the Lay Chief) of the Ancient Temple of Gadaladeniya, Gampola was taken in to custody by Punjabi soldiers and was found dead on arrival in Kandy. The colonial authorities had the house of many prominent Sinhalese searched and many were arrested without charges. These included F. R. Senanayake , D. S. Senanayake (later the first prime minister of Ceylon), D. B. Jayatilaka , W. A. de Silva , F. R. Dias Bandaranaike , E. T. de Silva, Dr Casius Ferreira, C. Batuvantudawe , D. P. A. Wijewardene, John de Silva, W. H. W. Perera, Martinus Perera, John M. Senivaratne, Arthur V. Dias , H. Amarasurya, D. E. Weerasuriya, Reverent G. D. Lanerolle, E. A. P. Wijeyeratne , Harry Mel, A. H. E. Molamure , A. E. Goonesinha , Battaramulla Unanse —

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5252-424: The earlier judgement of the District Court, on the basis that the Kandyan Convention does not invalidate the provisions of subsequent legislative enactments in this case the Police Ordinance and the Local Boards Ordinance. An appeal to the Privy Council was filed against the decision of the Supreme Court. On 27 January 1915, while the Supreme Court was deliberating, a Buddhist religious procession few miles from

5353-404: The educated middle class, who were to leave an indelible mark on the political life of the country. It marked the beginning of the independence movement with the educated middle class demanding more legislative power that lead to the Donoughmore Commission and the Soulbury Commission which lead to Ceylon gaining independence in 1948. The events of 1915 would ultimately be what would be called

5454-417: The first regular officer to be promoted to the rank of general, without serving as the commander of the army until Kamal Gunaratne was promoted in 2020. In 1991, Ranjan Wijeratne was the only person appointed to the rank posthumously. Since 1991, it became customary for all commanders of the army to be promoted to the rank of general on the final day of service if they were retiring or appointed as Chief of

5555-407: The first prime minister of Ceylon, D. S. Senanayake , died suddenly. A year later he succeeded his cousin, Dudley Senanayake , as the third Prime Minister of Ceylon, serving until his party lost the general election in 1956. Kotelawala retired from politics thereafter, going to self-imposed exile in Kent . Having donated his home, Kandawala , to the state to form a defense university, he was granted

5656-416: The highest rank under the Army Act and is the highest pay grade in the army. In 2020, Shavendra Silva was promoted to the rank while concurrently serving as both commander of the army and chief of the defence staff. A general officer's insignia is a crossed sword and baton. A Major-General has a pip over this emblem; a Lieutenant-General a Sri Lanka emblem instead of a pip; and a full General both

5757-541: The house as the UNP won a majority to form a government. The following year, the Senanayake government faced major civil unrest with left-wing parties launching the 1953 Hartal in August. On 12 August 1953 civil disobedience, strikes and demonstrations started throughout the island by trade unions against the proposed elimination of the subsidy on rice by the government. The country came to a stand still with transport and communication stopping due to acts of sabotage. The government implemented emergency regulations and deployed

5858-414: The island of Ceylon between Sinhalese Buddhists and the Ceylon Moors . The riots were eventually suppressed by the British colonial authorities . The riots started in Kandy in the night of 28 May 1915 and spread to neighbouring villages on 30 May and to Colombo on 31 May and other towns thereafter. It was suppressed by 9 June with final incidents occurring on 11 May in Chilaw . Taking place at

5959-476: The island. He did not contest the 1960 general elections , instead, he supported the candidacy of A. U. Romanis , his personal chauffeur , as the UNP candidate for Dodangaslanda. Romanis won both general elections in 1960 and remained a member of parliament till 1964. Kotelawala retired from politics shortly after his electoral defeat. He bought the Brogues Wood estate at Biddenden in Kent , where he lived for several years. He eventually returned to Ceylon. When

6060-432: The judgement to the Supreme Court of Ceylon . The case was heard in February 1915, by the bench of Justices Walter Shaw and Thomas De Sampayo , Bertram with James Van Langenberg , KC , Solicitor General and V. M. Fernando , Crown Counsel representing the crown and Benjamin Bawa , KC with E. W. Perera and D. R. Wijewardena represented the Basnayaka Nilame. The court ruled that granted leave to appeal and set-aside

6161-408: The large number of Moors who owned many of the shops there. There were looting and police shooting in Borella . On the morning of 1 June, the European and Ceylonese sections of the Ceylon Defense Force were mobilized at Echelon Barracks and the 28th Punjabis of the British Indian Army under the command of Lieutenant Colonel A. G. de V. Chichester, the only regular regiment stationed in Ceylon at

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6262-440: The marriage was not successful, ending in divorce, it produced a daughter, Lakshmi Kotelawala, who married Henry Gerald Kotalawala. Kotelawala was known for his flamboyance and the company he kept. He would entertain guests at his home in Kandawala and his cottage in Nuwara Eliya. Even as prime minister he resided at Kandawala. In 1985 a national defence academy for the training of officers for all three Sri Lankan defence services

6363-436: The military and maintained close links with the army. He was the first Chairman of the Ceylon Light Infantry Association in 1974 and was the President of the Ceylon Ex Servicemen's Association from 1948 to his death. In 1978, the commanders of the armed forces identified a need to establish a Defence university to cater to the academic training of its officers. Although the government approved it, funds were limited and no location

6464-577: The military courts. Edmund Hewavitarne was imprisoned and died in prison due to lack of medical care. Many respected Sinhalese were removed from colonial appointments such as Hulugalle Adigar , who was stripped of his title of Adigar on the account he was not present in his home area during the riots. On 30 August 1915, the Sir Robert Chalmers, issued an order terminating martial law in the island and with it he issued The Ceylon Indemnity Order in Council, 1915 which indemnified himself, Brigadier Malcolm, and any other who had carried out any acts to maintain

6565-410: The murder trial was underway, Kotelawala Snr committed suicide by poisoning himself. Kotelawala was eleven years old when his father died and with this, the family fortunes declined after much funds were spent in the legal defence of his father. Alice Kotelawala who had converted to Christianity slowly built up the family wealth through careful management of their remaining land holdings and the share of

6666-408: The night of 28 May 1915. Embolden by the Supreme Court judgment, the Indian Moors in Kandy objected to the Buddhist Perahera processions from passing their mosque in Castle Hill Street, Kandy. The elected members of the Kandy Municipal Council unanimously recommended that the license be granted. Government Agent, having ascertained that the closing time of the mosque was midnight, issued the license on

6767-401: The officers in the rank of major general and above for Dress No1, No 3 and 3A. 1915 Sinhalese-Muslim riots Robert Chalmers , Brig. Gen. H. H. L. Malcolm , Herbert Dowbiggin The 1915 Sinhalese-Muslim riots (also known as the anti-Muslim riots of 1915 or the 1915 Buddhist Mohammedan riots or the 1915 Ceylonese riots ) was a widespread and prolonged ethnic riot in

6868-676: The peace and suppress rioting during the period of martial law. It further confirmed sentences and orders pronounced by military courts during the period of martial law were deemed to be sentences passed by courts of the colony. According to some official estimates, which must be taken as approximate, there were 25 murdered, 189 wounded, 4 incidents of rape associated with the riots. 4075 houses and boutiques looted, 250 houses and boutiques burned down, 17 mosques burnt and 86 mosques otherwise damaged. Other official figures place total of 116 people were killed, 63 by military and police forces. The heavy handed actions of colonial authorities to suppress

6969-423: The portfolio of public works which he had held on the second board of ministers. During his tenure major projects such as the Laxapana power project , expansion of the Colombo harbour , expansion of the Ratmalana Airport , construction of the University of Peradeniya and the expansion of road in the island took place. With S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike leaving the UNP and crossing over to the opposition, Kotelawala

7070-409: The post of Governor-General appeared vacant with the completion of William Gopallawa 's first term, he was hopeful that he would be nominated to the post by the United National Party which was in the government at the time. However Dudley Senanayake in his second term as prime minister did not name a successor for Gopallawa and allowed him to have a second term. Kotelawala was a strong supporter of

7171-458: The procession to turn towards the side street. As the procession to turn towards the side street, hooting and derision of the Indian Moors followed. With a larger group of the procession arriving and proceeded along Castle Hill Street, which was soon attacked by stones and empty bottles. The members of the procession responded and a fight ensued. The crowd entered the mosque and shops from which they were attacked and caused damage. Inspector Cooray and

7272-514: The railway line to Rambukkan, Polgashawela, Alawwa , Ambepussa , Meerigama, Veyangoda, Henaratgoda and Kelaniya towards Colombo. Policing in the rural areas were carried out by unpaid Vidanes who were petty headmen reporting to the local headmen and the Government Agent, uniformed and paid Constables were stationed only far between along major roads. These two groups rarely co-operated, if at all. On 31 May, some of those intend on mischief had entered Colombo following incidents of looting in

7373-500: The rank of general on his deathbed. Kotelawala was born on 4 April 1897 to John Kotelawala Snr , a police inspector , who later turned businessman and Alice Elisabeth Kotelawala (née Attygalle), daughter of Mudaliyar Don Charles Gemoris Attygalle , a wealthy land and mine owner. He had a younger brother Justin Kotelawala and a sister Freda, who later married C. V. S. Corea. The Kotelawalas lived in considerable comfort owing to

7474-742: The relative peaceful nature of the colony, the last British Army regiment was withdrawn from the island in 1881 and the local military regiment, the Ceylon Rifle Regiment , had been disbanded in 1873. Since then, the Ceylon Police Force maintained law and order in towns and urburn areas, with many of the Javanese and the Malay mercenaries employed in the Ceylon Rifle Regiment joining the Police Force as constables for paid employment. Rural policing

7575-473: The rioters not dispersing, Dowbiggin left and return on foot with the Punjabis and constables, forcing the rioters to disperse without firing a shot. The cadets were ordered to patrol the streets and the Punjabis mounted sentries at key locations in the city. The lack of police action aggravated the rioting, the presence of the Punjabi soldiers deterred the rioters, who dispersed to other parts by foot and train, along

7676-468: The riots and the punishments handed down by it were heavily criticized in the Legislative Council by those such as Tamil politician Ponnambalam Ramanathan , who gained much national popularity. In September 1915, a meeting with over 5,000 people in attendance was held at the public hall in Colombo. It was chaired by James Peiris , and Dr Solomon Fernando made a strong speech demanding inquiry by

7777-766: The riots by any means. To this end on 2 June 1915, Chalmers declared that the Western Province was subjected to martial law and under the control of Brigadier General Malcolm. This order was extended to the Central Province, the Southern Province, and the North-Western Province on 2 June, while the Province of Uva and the North-Central Province was subjected on the 17 June. Officer Commanding

7878-619: The riots. By the turn of the 20th century, Ceylon was a British colony. The last native kingdom, the Kingdom of Kandy had been ceded to the British Crown in 1815 under the Kandyan Convention . The island saw little conflict as in the past century only two anti-British uprisings (the Uva Rebellion and the Matale Rebellion ) took place. The native population of the island at this time

7979-594: The rural areas. An incident took place on 1 June at the Ceylon Government Railway yard at Maradana , the authorities led by the Fraser, Government Agent, Western Province, E. C. Jayawardane, member of the municipal council and Charles Batuwantudawe tried to pacify the crown. The railway workers soon brock out of the yard and were met by others gathered near by and began rampaging, with several senior police officers injured. The police arrested several and took them to

8080-475: The shooter was not arrested by the policemen who witnessed it. This aggravated the situation and rioting escalated. Shops in the bazaars were damaged, Sinhalese bazaars were attacked by Moors, Moorish buildings in Katugastota and Mahaiyawa were damaged. In Kandy the police took steps to control the rioting and police reinforcements were brought in from Colombo. On leaning a train load of Moors were enrout to Kandy,

8181-604: The six constables present could not control the crowd and he called for reinforcements from the police station. Several Sinhalese and Moors were injured as well as the Inspector Cooray and 25 were arrested. The following day, the 29 May rumors spread around the city after some Indian Moors claim to have a group of Afghan fighters coming up from Colombo to raze to the ground the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic in Kandy, which

8282-531: The time and was called out in force. By night fall of 1 June and morning of 2 June, armed police began patrolling the streets with orders to shoot issued by the Police Magistrate of Colombo. Armed police with the Town Guard mounted sentries at street junctions to prevent rioters from gathering. In many cases the police and soldiers fired or bayonet charged rioters to disperse. During the next nine days or so

8383-690: The time when the First World War was raging in Europe, the British authorities feared that the riots were possibly a rebellion against colonial rule; in response, martial law was first declared in the Western and Sabaragamuwa Provinces on 2 June, extended to other provinces in the following days, and terminated on 30 August. During the suppression of the rebellion, colonial forces supplemented by European auxiliaries carried out numerous summary executions and other repressive measures in an attempt to put an end to

8484-574: The time. Police and Punjabi soldiers set about searching villages for looted items, with the later in turn looting the villages and harassing women. Summary police courts were conducted on case of looting at police stations by passing legal procedure. Thousands were arrested in some cases whole villages, its men, women and boys, on charges of looting and being in possession of stolen property, and no bail allowed. These were immediately tried and in certain instances sentenced to lashing and/or imprisonment. J. G. Eraser, Government Agent , Western Province,

8585-471: The town of Kurunegala was attacked by Moors, as the procession reached a building used by them for worship. Kurunegala police were called in and arrested 14 Moors on rioting and unlawful assembly, produced before the Police Magistrate. In May, the Buddhist Temple authorities in Kandy sort a police permit from the Government Agent to conduct its customary Perahera procession through the streets of Kandy on

8686-544: The unfolding of explicit manifestation of ethnic tensions in the country which was to increase in number and intensity once the country attained independence. Sinhalese Buddhist nationalism took hold, in the beginning led by reformers in the name of religion. The event also led to a major distrust between the Tamil and the Moor community who shared a common native language and strong cultural traditions. Also Muslims would side up with

8787-604: Was appointed Leader of the House in the House of Representatives on 12 July 1951. When Senanayake suddenly died on 22 March 1952, Kotelawala expected to succeed him as prime minister, given he was the leader of the house and the most senior member of the UNP. However, to his great anger, Lord Soulbury , the Governor-General , appointed Senanayake's son and Kotelawala's younger cousin, Dudley Senanayake , as prime minister on 26 March 1952. An angry Kotelawala threatened resignation and

8888-465: Was appointed Commissioner by the Government to inquire into the riots. At the same time Special Commissioners (Military Commissioners) with extraordinary punitive powers were appointed by Brigadier Malcolm. These Special Commissioners were mostly Government Agents or Military Officers who had powers to threaten penalties to gain information about the riots. They gained valuation of damage and looted items by

8989-662: Was carried out Police Vidanes . The British military presence in the colony was limited to a British Indian Army infantry regiment which would be stationed in Ceylon to supplement the garrison units that was made up of four companies from the Royal Garrison Artillery and two companies of the Royal Engineers (thought the Royal Engineers were withdrawn in 1911 and replaced with the Ceylon Engineers ). In addition

9090-548: Was educated at Royal College, Colombo , and Christ's College, Cambridge , before returning to become a planter and run the family estates and mines. Kotelawala joined the Ceylon Defense Force as an volunteer officer in 1922. Being from a politically active family , he entered mainstream politics in 1931 having been elected to the State Council of Ceylon . He went on to serve as Minister of Communications and Works in

9191-426: Was established at his estate Kandawala , which he had left to the country in his will for this purpose. It has been named General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University (KDU) is a defence university offering undergraduate and postgraduate study courses to officers of the defence services in Sri Lanka in various disciplines. Statues of Sir John Kotelawala have been erected in many parts of the island, including one at

9292-569: Was holidaying at Nuwara Eliya when the riots started and he moved to Kandy by 1 June after the rioting was stopped. With the failure of the Ceylon Civil Service and the Police to maintain order and fearing an all out rebellion against British rule in Ceylon, Chalmers turn to the military under the command of Brigadier General H. H. L. Malcolm , Officer Commanding the Troops in Ceylon to suppress

9393-684: Was married to Kotelawala's mother's sister. They criticized many of the actions of the British colonial officials following the riots in 1915 . Captain John Kotelawala contested the Kurunegala seat in the 1931 election for the State Council of Ceylon . He gained 17159 votes, a majority of 9045 over his opponent from the Ceylon National Congress . Elected to the State Council, he served as

9494-620: Was predominately Buddhist mostly from the ethnic group Sinhalese . There existed a Muslim minority known as the Moors . The Moor community consisted of two segments, the Ceylon Moors who originated from the Arab traders who settled in the island about five or six centuries before and the Indian Moors who were at the time natives and residents of South India , who had come to Ceylon for trade. By 1915,

9595-469: Was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel on 1 October 1940 and was posted to the reserve of the regiment. With the outbreak of World War II in the Far East , the Ceylon Defence Force including the Ceylon Light Infantry was mobilized and expanded for wartime service with the British Army . Kotelawala as the Minister of Communications and Works, became a member of the Ceylon's War Council and served as

9696-472: Was provided by the government. In 1979, Lieutenant General Denis Perera , Commander of the Sri Lankan Army approached Kotelawala with the proposal of donating his home Kandawala and its 50 acres estate to the state to establish a Defence university. Six months later having reviewed the proposal and consulted his heirs, Kotelawala agreed to donate Kandawala following his death. On 11 July 1980, he signed

9797-613: Was the Islamic revivalist movement that had taken shape in Ceylon, with a distinct Muslim identity taking shape which was influenced by the ultra-conservative strands based on Wahhabism , which renounced music. In Gampola , a dispute arose between the Indian Moors and the Buddhist Temple authorities of the Wallahagoda Dewala in 1912. The Indian Moors objected to the Police on the Buddhist Perahera (religious pageant) procession from

9898-477: Was the holiest of places of worship for the Buddhist in the island. Soon crowds gathered in the city and peasants from the nearby villages came to the city to defend their Temple. Soon more cases of violence were reported when a mostly Buddhist mobs attacked Moorish bazaars. The first bloodshed of the riots was reported when an Indian Moor shot dead an eighteen year old Sinhalese boy in Colombo Street, in Kandy and

9999-525: Was the regulation of noise worship under the Section 96 of the Police Ordinance, No. 16 of 1865, which forbade the beating of tom-tom drums at any time, within any town, without a license issued by the government, with punishment that included fines or imprisonment for up to three months. The Local Boards Ordinance, No. 13 of 1898, extended these regulations across Ceylon to include rural areas. Due to

10100-564: Was to be gathered from description, if they were found in the streets after hours". With the streets cleared of rioters, uniformed police and the military enforced curfews in cities and towns, shooting any one that violated it, soon they began expanding their operations to the rural areas. Auxiliaries units on the lines of the Colombo Town Guard was formed in the local towns with European volunteers recruited from planters and mercantile executives. Special constables were appointed from among

10201-541: Was valid till 1957, he had the Governor General to dissolve Parliament in 1956, calling for fresh elections. However, the UNP faced a major defeat in the 1956 general elections by a group of more radically chauvinistic Sinhalese parties under the leadership of Solomon Bandaranaike which formed a coalition called the Mahajana Eksath Peramuna , which had noncomplete agreements with other leftist parties. Of

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