Rohana Wijeweera
Rohana Wijeweera | |
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Leader of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna | |
In office 14 May 1965 – 13 November 1989 | |
Preceded by | Position Established |
Succeeded by | Saman Piyasiri Fernando |
Personal details | |
Born | Patabendi Don Nandasiri Wijeweera 14 July 1943 Kottegoda, Matara, British Ceylon |
Died | Borella, Colombo, Sri Lanka | 13 November 1989 (age 46)
Manner of death | Assassination by firearm |
Political party |
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Other political affiliations | Communist |
Signature | |
Military service | |
Battles/wars |
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Patabendi Don Jinadasa Nandasiri Wijeweera (
He formed the JVP in 1965, with the intention of replacing the
In 1989, the government of Sri Lanka then launched Operation Combine with the intention of killing Wijeweera, along with Upatissa Gamanayake. While they succeeded, the JVP maintained its identity as a political party and later joined a coalition government.
Early life
Patabendi Don Jinadasa Nandasiri Wijeweera was born on 14 July 1943 (Bastille Day), to Patabendi Don Andris Wijeweera and Nasi Nona Wickramakalutota, who lived in Kottegoda, a coastal village situated close to Matara in southern Sri Lanka and mostly belonged to the Karava caste hierarchy. The eldest in the family, he had a younger brother Ananda and a younger sister Chitranie.
His father, who ran a small business, was an active member of the
Education
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 and was there until mid-1959. He entered Ambalangoda Dharmashoka College in July 1959 to study GCE Ordinary Level in the science stream. Although he passed the exam, gaining credit grades for some subjects, he was not able to continue his studies due to limited family finances.[3]
Having become active in the communist party, he applied and gained a scholarship to attend the
In late 1963 he became ill and received medical treatment from a hospital in Moscow, but finally requested a full academic term of medical leave and returned to Ceylon. At that time the Communist Party of Ceylon was divided into two groups which were pro-Chinese and pro-Soviet. A vocal supporter of the pro-Chinese wing Ceylon Communist Party (Maoist), he did not get a visa to return to the USSR.[3]
Political career, 1965–1971
Following his ideological dispute with the now revisionist
New Left Movement
Soon Wijeweera was impatient with the CCP Maoist leaders due to what he saw as their lack of revolutionary purpose, and formed his own movement on 14 May 1965 after a discussion held in a house at Akmeemana in the Galle district with like-minded youth. He visited North Korea to broaden support for the newly formed movement.[5]
Initially identified simply as the "New Left", this group drew on students and unemployed youths from rural areas, most of them in the 16 to 25-year-old range who felt that their economic interests had been neglected by the nation's leftist coalition governments. It became popularly known as the New Left Movement, a
After forming the political movement, Wijeweera named it Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP). He conducted a series of political lectures for the purpose of educating the youths according to the Marxist-Leninist doctrine. These lectures were popularly known as JVP five classes, eventually became the key manifesto of their political ideology.[6]
- 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 state power for the purpose of implementing the JVP's socio-economic policies in the country was the key part of Wijeweera's political agenda. During the late 1960s, Wijeweera and the JVP consisted of disillusioned youths who believed that armed struggle is the most suitable way to a socialist revolution.
1971 Insurrection
In 1970 while campaigning for the United Front of Sirimavo Bandaranaike in the general election, Wijeweera was arrested following the riot in front of the U.S embassy, but released shortly as the pro-socialist United Front won the elections.
In April 1971 JVP led an armed campaign known as the
Wijeweera was arrested before the armed attack took place in April 1971. He was later brought before the
Political career, 1977–1983
After the victory of the pro-United States United National Party in the 1977 elections, the new government attempted to broaden its mandate with a period of political tolerance. Wijeweera was freed. The new government also tried to destroy its opposition from the pro-Soviet Union United Front.
Presidential elections
After the ban on the party was lifted, the JVP entered the arena of legal political competition. As a candidate in the 1982 presidential elections, Wijeweera finished third, with more than 250,000 votes (4%, as compared with Jayewardene's 3.2 million).[citation needed]
1987–1989 Insurrection
In 1987, the JVP launched a second insurrection. Unlike in 1971, this was not an open revolt, but a
Capture and death
In October 1989, following the arrest and interrogation of two leading JVP members, Wijeweera was arrested, having been living on a tea estate in Ulapane, masquerading as a planter under the name of Attanayake.
On 13 November 1989 Wijeweera was shot dead, but the actual circumstances remain a subject of speculation.
Works
In 1971 Wijeeweera wrote the book A Few Experiences (
Family
Wijeweera married Srimathi Chitrangani, with whom he had four daughters and two sons. After his death in 1989, his widow and children handed themselves over to the Army Headquarters and the government assured protection for the family. They were housed at the staff quarters in SLN Dockyard in Trincomalee and later in 1992 were moved to staff quarters in the naval barracks at SLNS Gemunu in Welisara where they have lived under state patronage.[14] In February 2015, the Security Council decided that there was no security threat and requested the family to vacate the naval quarters that they were occupying.[15]
In popular media
The biographical film of Wijeweera's late life titled Ginnen Upan Seethala was made in 2019. The film was directed by Anurudha Jayasinghe and popular actor Kamal Addararachchi played Wijeweera's role.[16]
See also
Further reading
- Bandu, Oruvala (2008). Lumumbāven bihi vū Rōhaṇa Vijēvīra (in Sinhala). ISBN 978-9-55551-579-5.
- Chandraprema, C. A. (1991). Sri Lanka, the years of terror: The J.V.P. insurrection, 1987–1989. Colombo: Lake House Bookshop. ISBN 9559029037.
- Indradasa, Godahewa (2012). Failed Revolts in Sri Lanka (1971 and 1987-1989). Sri Lanka: Godahewa Indradasa. ISBN 978-9-55543-980-0.
- P. Jayaram (15 December 1989). "Sri Lanka: JVP leader Rohana Wijeweera eliminated, but attacks continue". India Today.
References
- ISBN 955-26-0004-9.
- ^ Gunaratna 1990, pp. 1–3.
- ^ a b Alles, A.C. (1976). Insurgency - 1971. Colombo: Trade Exchange (Ceylon).
- ^ History of the JVP. Niyamuva Publications. 2008. p. 8-9.
- ^ Peebles 2006, p. 120.
- ^ Warnapala 1975, p. 6.
- ^ Samaranayake, Ajith. "Rohana Wijeweera – The Age of Innocence, The April uprising & Tragedy or nemesis". LankaLibrary.
- ^ )
- ^ Bullion 1995.
- ^ "Rohana Wijeweera: The killing of Sri Lanka's Stalinist icon". BBC News. 13 November 2014.
- ^ a b "Sri Lanka Government Forces Kill Leader of Sinhalese Group". The New York Times. 14 November 1989. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
- ^ Pathirana, Leel. "Death of a Rebel – Poem". Sri Lanka Guardian. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
- ^ "A few experiences".
- The Daily Mirror. 20 May 2013. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
- ^ "Wijeweera's family allowed to stay six more months". The Daily Mirror. 22 September 2015.
- ^ "A film adaptation of Rohana Wijeweera's life". Front Page. 8 February 2017. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
Sources
- Guneratne, Rohan (1987). War & Peace in Sri Lanka, with a Post-accord Report from Jaffna.
- Alles, Anthony Christopher (1979). Insurgency – 1971: An Account of the April Insurrection in Sri Lanka (3rd revised and enlarged ed.). Colombo: The Colombo Apothecaries' Co.
- Gunaratne, Rohan (1990). Sri Lanka: A lost revolution? Inside story of the JVP. Sri Lanka: Institute of Fundamental Studies. ISBN 9789552600043.
- Venugopal, Rajesh (May 2010). "Sectarian Socialism: The politics of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna". Modern Asian Studies. 44 (1): 567–602. S2CID 145240947.
- Warnapala, W. A. (1975). "The Marxist Parties of Sri Lanka and the 1971 Insurrection". JSTOR 2643171.
- Peebles, Patrick (2006). History of Sri Lanka. Greenwood Publishing Group.
- Bullion, A. J. (1995). India, Sri Lanka and The Tamil Crisis. Pinter. p. 147.
External links
- Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)
- Perera, Ravi (24 November 2008). "Wijeweera – Did he find the enemy?". Daily News. Archived from the original on 11 February 2010.
- "Ill Maha Maruwo". lankanewspapers. 12 January 2007.
- "Anti-India Lankan Rebel's Wife Seeks Whereabouts of Husband Arrested 29 Years Ago". News18. 30 June 2018 – via PTI.