Incarcerated Australian professor Sean Turnell did not plan for this. Over the last week, he was effectively a football, kicked from pillar to post, a political pawn in the game pursued by the Myanmar junta to lock up democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi for life.
Professor Turnell was arrested by the Myanmar authorities shortly after the February 2021 coup. He was working as an advisor to Myanmar civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi. He was eventually charged with breaking the country’s Official Secrets Act with a maximum penalty of 14 years in jail if found guilty.
Turnell’s biography speaks for itself. He is an honorary professor of economics at Macquarie University, a former staff member of the Reserve Bank of Australia, and the director of research at the Myanmar Development Institute. He has worked tirelessly over the last decade or more to help Myanmar develop, and has been useful to the National League for Democracy-led government in helping improve the structures that make up the country’s economy.
Over the last week, the Australian government called for his release. Cambodian PM Hun Sen said he was actually released. The Myanmar junta rebutted this, saying he had not been released. And then Hun Sen made an apology saying he had “receive the wrong information” and that he had not in fact been released.
Hopefully, Turnell was oblivious to all these shenanigans. According to his wife, he has been suffering some health problems while in detention. Last week’s “on-off” release scenario would not have been good for him psychologically.
According to analysts, Turnell is a pawn in the game that the Myanmar junta hopes to use to nail Aung San Suu Kyi regarding breaking the Official Secrets Act. Reading between the lines it appears the junta will try to claim that the former State Counsellor shared government information with Turnell, a foreigner, to the detriment of the country.
Such a situation will seem farcical to anybody who understands international politics and governance. Under democratic governments, it is normal to have outside advisors work with the authorities on governmental and political matters. Few would bat an eyelid over such a practice.
But under the Myanmar military junta, trumped up charges levelled at those they consider their enemies are the name of the game.
This is deeply unfortunate for Turnell – a good friend of Myanmar – who has worked hard to help the country develop.
Last week’s confusion should merely serve as a reminder that the request has been made to release Professor Turnell as soon as possible.
