Rohana Wijeweera
Encyclopedia
Patabendi Don Nandasiri Wijeweera (Sinhala:පටබැඳි දොන් නන්දසිරි විජෙවීර) or Rohana Wijeweera (14 July 1943 – 13 November 1989) was a Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
n Marxist politician and the founding leader of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna
Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna
The Janathā Vimukthi Peramuṇa is a Marxist-Leninist, Communist political party in Sri Lanka. The party was involved in two armed uprisings against the ruling governments in 1971 and 1987-89...
. Wijeweera led the party during the two major armed campaigns happened in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
, which led by the JVP in 1971 and 1987-89.
Early life
He was born on July 14, 1943 (Bastille DayBastille Day
Bastille Day is the name given in English-speaking countries to the French National Day, which is celebrated on 14 July of each year. In France, it is formally called La Fête Nationale and commonly le quatorze juillet...
) to Patabendi Don Andris Wijeweera and Nasi Nona Wickrama Kulutota who lived in Kottegoda a coastal fishing village situated in southern Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
and belong to the Karava caste hierarchy.
He has a younger brother Ananda and a younger sister Chitranie also lived there.
Wijeweera had his primary education at Goda Uda government school in Kottegoda from 1947 to 1953. In 1954 he entered Goda Uda government senior school to obtain the secondary education and was there until mid 1959. He entered Ambalangoda Dharmashoka college
Dharmasoka College
Dharmasoka College, Ambalangoda, is a leading mix school in Sri Lanka. The college was established in 1913.It is one of the educational institute supported by the Buddhist Theosophical Society led by Colonel Henry Steel Olcott, and accordingly is one of Sri Lanka's oldest schools...
in July 1959 to study GCE - Ordinary Level examination.
In September 1960 he went to USSR and entered into the Lumumba University to study medicine. He completed the Russian language
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
examination within seven and a half months by obtaining a distinction and spent his holidays by travelling through the USSR and also worked as an agricultural worker at Moldavian Rupublic. He did the medical studies well up to third year and further has done the political economics by obtaining a distinction in 1963. In late 1963 he suffered from illnesses and received medical treatment from a hospital in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
but finally he requested a full academic term of medical leave and returned to Sri Lanka. At that time Communist Party of Sri Lanka was divided into two groups which were pro-Chinese and pro-Soviet. He did not get visa to return to USSR as he joined the pro-Chinese group.
His father was an active member of Communist Party of Sri Lanka
Communist Party of Sri Lanka
The Communist Party of Sri Lanka is a communist political party in Sri Lanka. At the last legislative elections, on 2 April 2004, the party was part of the United People's Freedom Alliance that won 45.6% of the popular vote and 105 out of 225 seats....
(pro-Soviet wing) and very close to Dr. S.A. Wickramasinghe. He was disabled after an attack by the thugs believed to be the members of an opposing political party during the 1947 Parliamentary election campaign for the candidate Premalal Kumarasiri, and he died in 1965.
Political history and agenda
Wijeweera returned to Sri Lanka without completing the studies and managed to form a new Marxist political party Janatha Vimukthi PeramunaJanatha Vimukthi Peramuna
The Janathā Vimukthi Peramuṇa is a Marxist-Leninist, Communist political party in Sri Lanka. The party was involved in two armed uprisings against the ruling governments in 1971 and 1987-89...
or JVP, on the May 14, 1965 after a discussion held in a house at Akmeemana of Galle
Galle
Galle is a city situated on the southwestern tip of Sri Lanka, 119 km from Colombo. Galle is the capital city of Southern Province of Sri Lanka and it lies in Galle District....
district, southern Sri Lanka.
After forming the political movement JVP, Wijeweera conducted a series of political lectures for the purpose of educating the people according to their political doctrine. These lectures popularly known as JVP five classes, is one of the key factor in their political agenda.'
- Crisis of the capitalist system in Sri Lanka
- The history of the left movement in Sri Lanka
- The history of the socialist revolutions
- Indian expansionism
- The path of revolution in Sri Lanka
Capturing the state power for the purpose of implementing the JVP's socio-economic policies in the country, is another key factor of Wijeweera's political agenda. Period of the late 1960s Wijeweera and the JVP believed that the armed struggle is the most suitable way to capture the state power. In April 1971 JVP led armed campaign known as the 1971 April Rebellion a failed attempt to capture the state power from the Royal British Ceylon Government, happened according to the Wijeweera-led JVP's political agenda.
Wijeweera was arrested by the Police before the armed attack would taken place in April 1971, and after that he was produced into a trial called Criminal Justice Commission under the charges of aiding and abetting to overthrow the Royal British Ceylon Government. The trial sentenced him to life imprisonment and he made a historical speech at the end "We may be killed but our voice will never die" which was very similar to the speech delivered by Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
"History Will Absolve Me
History Will Absolve Me
"History Will Absolve Me" is the concluding sentence and subsequent title of a four-hour speech made by Fidel Castro on 16 October 1953. Castro made the speech in his own defense in court against the charges brought against him after leading an attack on the Moncada Barracks...
" by the end of Moncada Barracks
Moncada Barracks
The Moncada Barracks was a military barracks in Santiago de Cuba, named after General Guillermón Moncada, a hero of the War of Independence. On July 26, 1953, the barracks was the site of an armed attack by a small group of revolutionaries led by Fidel Castro. This armed attack is widely accepted...
trial in 1953.
Further reading
- SRI LANKA - A LOST REVOLUTION? The Inside Story of the JVP by Rohan Gunaratna
- Insurgency – 1971 : An Account of the April Insurrection in Sri Lanka by Justice A.C. Alles
- Sri Lanka, the years of terror : The J.V.P. insurrection, 1987-1989 by C.A. Chandraprema