Rohana Wijeweera | |
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| 1st 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 | 13 November 1989 (age 46) Borella, Colombo, Sri Lanka |
| Manner of death | Assassination by firearm |
| Political party |
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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 Marxist–Leninist |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Battles/wars | |
Patabendi Don Jinadasa Nandasiri Wijeweera (Sinhala: පටබැඳි දොන් ජිනදාස නන්දසිරි විජෙවීර; 14 July 1943 – 13 November 1989), better known as Rohana Wijeweera, was a Sri Lankan Marxist–Leninist political activist, revolutionary, and founder of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP; transl. People's Liberation Front). Wijeweera led the party in two unsuccessful insurrections in Sri Lanka, in 1971 and 1987 until his assassination.
He formed the JVP in 1965, with the intention of replacing the Dominion of Ceylon with a socialist republic. The JVP ideologically supported the Tamil militants, calling it a war for self-determination, but opposed the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. Following the Indo-Lanka accord, the JVP, with the leadership of Wijeweera and a secondary faction, launched a military and social campaign with the aim of overthrowing the government of Sri Lanka. This included two major insurgencies, in 1971 and 1987–1989.
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, and eventually in 2024 came into power.