in their hometown Chilaw. They were respected people and in Jaffna they were acclaimed as outstanding leaders. in 1921 Victor Corea refused to pay Poll Tax. Every male who was over the age of 21 in Ceylon had to pay this and it would go to the British Government. Victor wrote to the governor and said that according to their law he should be arrested. Victor Corea was then arrested and put in prison. He suffered much pain by doing work in a very hot climate such as crushing metal, beating coconut husks and twisting rope. All this work was done where the public could see him. He continued to do this work even though he had to go through a lot of pain. The British realised that Victor had become a national hero. Many people came from all over the country to see a man of high standing fight for his people and for the independence of Ceylon. The British released him from prison and also abolished Poll Tax, they had realised by keeping him in prison he had gained a lot of fame and popularity. Victor Corea then addressed his supporters at the Tower Hall, this was shortly after his release. The Times of Ceylon wrote this article: "The Tower Hall in Maradana was the scene of an electrifying drama. But Annie Boteju and Marshall Perera were not the star attractions. The occasion was a political meeting. It was the climax of a day of national mourning in remembrance of the declaration of Martial Law on 4 June 1915. As this story unfolds, the Speaker on the platform is C.E. Victor S.Corea. "June 4, 1922 was a Sunday and the thousands who packed the Tower Hall and its environs exploded in an orgasm of applause. The Times of Ceylon, always a faithful barometer of the political climate, recorded the next day that the Tower Hall was packed to utmost capacity. On the verandahs outside, a tightly wedged mass of humanity surged to and fro, a large number remaining on the street outside." "Such was the magnetic attraction of C.E. Victor S. Corea that the police party present was led by the Acting Inspector General of Police himself." Mohandas Gandhi's visit in 1927 Victor Corea and his brother Charles Edgar Corea had been in touch with Mohandas K. Gandhi. In 1927 Gandhi visited Ceylon because of his contact with