Armoured Cars In Colombo After Day Of Rioting

Press, Volume XCIII, Issue 27988, 7 June 1956, Page 13

Armoured Cars In Colombo After Day Of Rioting

(N.Z. Press Association —Copyright) (Rec. 11 p.m.) COLOMBO, June 6. Sixteen persons, including three members pf Parliament, were injured in rioting today over a Government bill to make Sinhalese the only official language of Ceylon. Armoured cars moved in at dusk after a day of stonings, beatings and repeated baton charges.

A crowd of 10,000 threw si (peaceful demonstrators) who st House of Representatives in fa and recognition of Tamil as one The Prime Minister (Mr Sol questions on the “explosive situ ment he had instructed his office Mr Bandaranaike said he had banned all demonstrations within the precincts of Parliament and had closed the public galleries for the day. . , The demonstration had been started on a promenade 300 yards from the House, presumably in the hope that it would lead to incidents which might bring the Government down, he said The sit-down fast was called off an hour before the House began its session, but an angry stone-throwing crowd moved towards Parliament Buildings. Mounted police charged several times to make way for Tamil-speak-ing M.P.’s to reach the House or to save people from violence. The Defence and External Affairs Ministry said tonight that the situation was under control.

tones at a group of Satyagrahis 1 taged a sit-down fast outside the ivour of a Federal constitution of the official languages. lomon Bandaranaike) answering lation” in Colombo, (old Parlia:rs to deal with it firmly.