BATTLE OF SAMABULA

Southland Times, Issue 18771, 20 March 1920, Page 8

BATTLE OF SAMABULA

FIGHTING IN FIJI. SERIOUS RIOT QUELLED. FIENDISH WOMEN. (From the Sydney Sun’s correspondent) SUVA (FIJI)), February 19. For a long time there has been unrest among the Indians in Fiji, and the leaders chose as a time to launch their revolt a period when the islands were isolated by the Australian marine engineers’ strike. There are 60,000 Indians here, and they relied upon the co-operation of 80,000 natives. Early in January men began to leave Work. At a large meeting of Indians it was urged that they were as good as the whites, and equal rights were demanded. Mahometans joined with Hindoos and the Indians who remained at work were beaten. The women also took a hand. They waylaid men going home from work and behaved like fiends, using most horrible practices. They even entered the houses and beat the men. The result was that not half a dozen Indians could be got to work where hundreds worked before. THIRTY TO ONE. Then the spark was applied by a white, who was reported to have beaten a “boy.” That night (January 29) a mob of 300 or 400 Indians were held up in the centre of Suva. They were armed with sticks, and some of the women had knives. A thin line of native police held thern up until some returned soldiers with waddles arrived, and gradually the mob was forced back and dispersed. That starter! things. Special constables were hurriedly enrolled, and a few days later the Defence Force was mobilised. For a while the position was critical. There were fully 30,000 Indians within 20 miles of Suva, and the white people, including women and children numbered only 1000. There were two native platoons, and two machine-guns with half-caste crews, while a skeleton defence force of about 100 returned men andcsome others with partial home training were also available. The natives showed some signs of joining with the strikers, as did several hundreds of Solomon boys, although many natives had taken up the Indians’ jobs. A GALLANT FIGHT. Then a young special with four native police tried to arrest a woman agitator at Toorak. At once hundreds of men and women sprang out from every side. Several specials rushed up to help their comrade, who had fallen once, and only saved himself with his heels. These specials put up a gallant fight. One was beaten into unconsciousness, another had an arm broken, while a gallant old man over 70 years old, who tried to help the first lad, was nearly killed and had a badly fractured arm. AH available native policemen armed with rifles were rushed to' the scene in motors. Toorak ,is the big Indian suburb of Suva. Then a dozen soldiers and some specials arrived, and lastly a machine-gun. By this time pandemonium was loose. Yells filled the air, stones rattled over-

head, and clubs rose and fell. The men were told not to fire, although the gun was placed in a commanding position. Gradually detachments worked round and outflanking the main body of rioter?, now over 1500 strong, and in the end 151 men and 20 women were marched to the police office in detachments and safely housed. BRIDGES TORN UP. Strong patrols marched the streets during the night. Volunteers came from ail parts, and military pickets held the chief I>oint,s of entry to the town. There were big Indian settlements at Munivatu Sa-ma-fcula, Land and Navua, while thousands live on the Rewa River settlements 12 miles away. A MODERN HORATIUS. A .“mall but useful force of 20 horsemen was formed. The Samabula Bridge was wrecked. A works department gang went out and replaced the decking, and a guard watched it all night, returning to town at daylight, five miles away. No sooner had the guard gone than the wreckers started on the bridge again. A dozen mounted men and a gun were sent out. A magistrate reasoned with the mob, standing like Horutius at one of the bridge and 300 or 400 angry Indians at the other. The Riot Act was read, but the Indians guffawed and called out, “Shoot! Shoot!” An impasse was reached. An hour later 20 specials arrived by motor. They formed up in two lines, and “Forward!” was shouted. As they advanced over the bridge the mob retreated up the hill. The specials doubled, and the mob broke. At the top of the hill they had an arsenal of chibs and stones. There they made a stand. The righting was very fierce, and seveial times white men wore saved by a miracle. One fanatical old priest with two Bft clubs held a mound for some time against several specials and native police. After nearly an hour’s hard fighting the mob were dispersed, with many broken heads and bruises. So ended the battle of Samabula, EVERYTHING QUIET. The next morning the N.Z. Government yacht Tutanekai landed GO artillerymen and six Lewis guns. From this out the troubles became fewer, and every small rising was smartly suppressed. Our force, if small, was very mobile, and detachments were whisked away in motor cars at a moment’s notice wherever wanted. On Saturday afternoon the mine-sweeper Marguerite, with 100 bluejackets, arrived from Australia. The Legislative Council passed a biU in one sitting making assembling illegal, and on Saturday a Gazette notice compelled every Indian to have a permit to move inside Suva. To-day many Indians are back at work, and everything is quiet. The outbreak is over, but whether the trouble has been definitely settled remains to be seen. The natives, of whom 300 to 400 are under arms as special police, acted splendidly; while the attitude of the women was heroic and calm. Over 250 Indians are to be tried.