Rohana Wijeweera facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rohana Wijeweera
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| 1st Leader of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna | |
| In office 14 May 1965 – 13 November 1989 |
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| Preceded by | Position Established |
| Succeeded by | Saman Piyasiri Fernando |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Patabendi Don Nandasiri Wijeweera
14 July 1943 Kottegoda, Matara, British Ceylon |
| Died | 13 November 1989 (age 46) Borella, Colombo, Sri Lanka |
| Cause of death | Assassination by firearm |
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| Other political affiliations |
Patriotic People's Front |
| Education | Goda Uda Government Senior School Dharmasoka College |
| Alma mater | Lumumba University |
| Occupation | Communist |
| Signature |  |
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Patabendi Don Jinadasa Nandasiri Wijeweera (Sinhala: පටබැඳි දොන් ජිනදාස නන්දසිරි විජෙවීර; 14 July 1943 – 13 November 1989), also known as Rohana Wijeweera, was a political leader from Sri Lanka. He was a Marxist activist and the person who started the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP). This name means "People's Liberation Front."
Wijeweera led the JVP in two major uprisings in Sri Lanka. These happened in 1971 and again from 1987 to 1989. Both attempts to change the government were not successful.
He created the JVP in 1965. His goal was to change Sri Lanka into a socialist republic. The JVP supported some groups fighting for their own land. However, they were against another group called the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. After a peace agreement was signed, Wijeweera and the JVP started a campaign to try and overthrow the government.
In 1989, the Sri Lankan government started a plan to capture Wijeweera. They were successful, and he died during this time. Even after his death, the JVP continued as a political party. Later, they even joined a government in Sri Lanka.
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Early Life of Rohana Wijeweera
Rohana Wijeweera was born on July 14, 1943. His full name was Patabendi Don Jinadasa Nandasiri Wijeweera. He was born in Kottegoda, a village near Matara in southern Sri Lanka. His parents were Patabendi Don Andris Wijeweera and Nasi Nona Wickramakalutota. He was the oldest child and had a younger brother named Ananda and a younger sister named Chitranie.
His father owned a small business. He was also an active member of the Ceylon Communist Party. In 1947, his father was hurt during an election campaign. He died in 1965.
Education and Learning
Wijeweera went to Goda Uda Government School from 1947 to 1953 for his first years of school. In 1954, he moved to Goda Uda Government Senior School. He stayed there until the middle of 1959. In July 1959, he started at Ambalangoda Dharmashoka College. He studied science there for his GCE Ordinary Level exams. He passed these exams, but his family did not have enough money for him to continue studying.
Because he was active in the communist party, he received a scholarship. This scholarship allowed him to study medicine at Lumumba University in the Soviet Union. He went there in September 1960. He learned the Russian language very quickly. He also traveled around the USSR during his breaks. He even worked on a farm in the Moldavian Republic. He did well in his medical studies.
In late 1963, he became sick and returned to Sri Lanka for medical leave. At that time, the Communist Party in Sri Lanka was split. One group supported China, and the other supported the Soviet Union. Wijeweera supported the pro-Chinese group. Because of this, he could not get a visa to go back to the Soviet Union.
Starting a Political Movement (1965–1971)
After his studies, Wijeweera joined the Ceylon Communist Party - Maoist. This was the group that supported China. He admired leaders like Josef Stalin and Mao Zedong. In 1965, he met with members of the Labour Party of Albania who visited Sri Lanka.
Soon, Wijeweera felt that the Maoist leaders were not revolutionary enough. So, on May 14, 1965, he started his own group. He met with young people who thought like him in the Galle District. He also visited North Korea to get more support for his new group.
This group was first called the "New Left." It attracted students and young people from rural areas who did not have jobs. Most of them were between 16 and 25 years old. They felt that the government was not helping them enough. This group became known as the New Left Movement. It was a Marxist political party.
After forming the movement, Wijeweera named it Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP). He gave a series of talks to teach young people about his political ideas. These talks were known as the JVP five classes. They became the main ideas of the JVP.
- Problems with the capitalist system in Sri Lanka
- The history of the left-wing movement in Sri Lanka
- The history of socialist revolutions
- India's growing influence
- How to make a revolution in Sri Lanka
Wijeweera's main goal was to take control of the government. He wanted to use the JVP's ideas to change the country's economy and society. In the late 1960s, Wijeweera and the JVP believed that fighting was the best way to achieve a socialist revolution.
The 1971 Uprising
In 1970, Wijeweera was campaigning for a political group called the United Front. He was arrested after a protest in front of the U.S. embassy. But he was released soon after, because the United Front won the elections.
In April 1971, the JVP started an armed campaign. This was known as the 1971 April Uprising. It was an attempt to overthrow the government of Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike. North Korean boats were caught trying to bring weapons to the JVP.
Wijeweera was arrested before the main attack happened in April 1971. He was later brought before a special commission. This commission was set up after the uprising failed. The commission sentenced him to life in prison. After this, he gave a famous speech. He said, "We May Be Killed But Our Voice Will Never Die." This was similar to a speech by Fidel Castro. Later, his prison sentence was reduced to 20 years.
Political Life (1977–1983)
In 1977, a new government came to power. This government tried to be more open to different political groups. Wijeweera was set free from prison. The new government also tried to weaken its political opponents.
Presidential Election
After the JVP was allowed to be a legal party again, they took part in elections. Wijeweera ran for president in 1982. He came in third place, getting over 250,000 votes. This was about 4% of all the votes.
The 1987–1989 Uprising
In 1987, the JVP started a second uprising. This one was different from the 1971 uprising. It was not an open war. Instead, it involved smaller attacks, secret actions, and attacks on military and civilian targets.
Capture and Death
In October 1989, two important JVP members were arrested. After they were questioned, Wijeweera was also arrested. He had been living on a tea estate, pretending to be a planter.
On November 13, 1989, Wijeweera died. The exact details of his death are still unclear. The Sri Lankan Army said he was shot during a fight between JVP members and the Army. This happened when he was taken to help find a JVP hiding place. There were also rumors that he was taken to a cemetery and killed there.
The official statement from a government minister was that Wijeweera and another JVP member were taken to a hiding place. While they were searching, the other JVP member supposedly pulled out a gun and shot Wijeweera. Many people believe that his death was planned by the government. The government itself gave different stories about what happened.
His Writings
In 1971, Wijeweera wrote a book called A Few Experiences. This book was about what he went through during the first JVP uprising. It was originally written in the Sinhala language. He also wrote an article titled "What is the answer for the Eelam Question" when the Sri Lankan Civil War began.
His Family
Wijeweera was married to Srimathi Chitrangani. They had four daughters and two sons. After he died in 1989, his wife and children went to the Army Headquarters. The government promised to protect his family. They lived in naval housing in Trincomalee and later in Welisara. In 2015, the government decided that his family no longer needed special protection. They were asked to move out of the naval housing.
In Movies and Media
A movie about Wijeweera's later life was made in 2019. It is called Ginnen Upan Seethala. The movie was directed by Anurudha Jayasinghe. A well-known actor named Kamal Addararachchi played the role of Wijeweera.
See also
- Communism in Sri Lanka
- Nagalingam Shanmugathasan
- Vijaya Kumaratunga
