Myanmar detains Australian adviser to Aung San Suu Kyi; initial known arrest of foreign national since coup
07 February, 2021
Sean Turnell, an Australian economic adviser to Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi, said on message to Reuters in Saturday (Feb 6) that he had been detained, the first known arrest of a foreign national since the Feb 1 armed service coup that overthrew the federal government.
"I guess you will soon hear of it, but I am appearing detained," Turnell said. "Being charged with something, however, not sure what. I am fine and strong, and not guilty of anything," he said, with a smile emoji.
It was not subsequently possible to contact him.
Myanmar army generals, who seized power alleging fraud in a Nov 8 election that Aung San Suu Kyi's National Little league for Democracy (NLD) received in a landslide, turn off the Internet on the subject of Saturday as thousands took to the roads of Yangon to denounce this week's coup.
Australia's foreign ministry said found in a affirmation late on Saturday that it had been "deeply concerned about reports of Australian and other foreign nationals appearing detained arbitrarily in Myanmar".
The ministry didn't name Turnell or provide further information on other foreign nationals being detained. It explained it got particular concerns about an Australian who was simply detained at a law enforcement station.
"The Australian Embassy in Yangon continues to contact Australians on Myanmar to ascertain their safety, to the extent that communications allow," the ministry said.
Turnell is a good professor of economics in Macquarie University found in Sydney and has been advising Aung San Suu Kyi on monetary policy for quite some time.
Macquarie University said it had been aware of studies of Turnell's arrest, adding it fully supported "both his work found in Myanmar and the efforts of the Australian Authorities to secure his swift let go".
A senior NLD member, who asked not to be named, said Turnell had before ceased his do the job advising Aung San Suu Kyi along the country's economy.
On Saturday, thousands of protesters gathered in Australia's second-largest city of Melbourne denouncing the coup and demanding the release of Aung San Suu Kyi.
Television and social mass media footage showed persons wearing the red color of the NLD, carrying portraits of Aung San Suu Kyi and singing We WILL NOT BE Satisfied Until the End of the World, the Burmese words anthem from the country’s 1988 pro-democracy uprising, brutally deposit by the military federal government.
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